Path of Good and Evil Book One
by Lady Zemaria
Summary: The most unlikely pairing in Konohogakure in the Village Hidden in the Leaves created an heir to their legacy. Tsunade and Orochimaru long ago had a short lived relationship. They created a little girl to take over their legacy named Zemaria. At three and then four both Tsunade and Orochimaru left the Village, leaving Zemaria alone in the care of Jiraiya who left when she was five.
1. Chapter 1: Zemaria

Chapter One

Zemaria

In the Hidden Leave Village deep within Konohagakure, there were very strong Ninja. Amongst them were three Legendary Sannin. Their names are Tsunade, who was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Orochimaru, and finally Jiraiya who was a Toad Sage. Tsunade and Orochimaru secretly were entwined in a spell of love. They had one child and her name was Zemaria.

This story starts out with Zemaria at the tender age of Three years. During this time, the Sannin were having problems with each other. Orochimaru had begun performing experiments on the occupants of the Village in secret. Tsunade was losing faith in having happiness with everyone she met, losing them to death during battle. Jiraiya was simply restless and longed to find his true path in life.

At this particular time, Orochimaru had been found out by Lord Third Hokage. He decided to bail out of the Village. Jiraiya who had not yet left the Village had grown up with Orochimaru and was on the same squad as him and Tsunade. Naturally, he was the one who would go after his friend and comrade. Zemaria realized her father was nowhere to be found.

She ran as fast as she could to the main gates of the Village. There she caught a glimpse of her Father and Jiraiya whom was named her God Father fading away in the distance towards the endless trees. They had left the Village.

"Father!" Zemaria yelled as loud as she could.

She started to run towards the gate to catch up to them. Kotetsu, a Chuunin quickly held her back. The rules of the Village were you could only leave and cross the border if you have permission from the Hokage. If one were to leave the Village otherwise, you would be deemed a Rouge Ninja never to be allowed back into the Village.

"Lady Zemaria, you can't leave the Village. You know the rules," Kotetsu held her back.

Zemaria started crying, "But my daddy is out there!"

Kotetsu comforted her, "If there's anyone that can bring him back, it's Master Jiraiya."

Time ticked by. Minutes became hours. Hours felt like days. Eventually, Jiraiya returned to the Village... alone. He was bloody and panting heavily. There was no Orochimaru with him. Zemaria cried harder. Her father left and as he did, he left his little girl behind.

"I'm so sorry Zemaria. I failed to bring your father back to you," he knelt down to her level.

Jiraiya embraced the young heir of two of the three Sannin in his arms as she wept. One year past and Tsunade was next to leave the Village. She unlike Orochimaru would have been welcomed back as she had gotten permission from the Hokage to leave. She too had left little Zemaria now four behind. She was left in the care of Jiraiya.

"Do my parents not want me? Is that why they left me behind?" Zemaria asked Jiraiya.

"Your parents love you very much. Your dad chose a bad path. However, your mom chose a good path. She just needs some time away from the Village and being a Shinobi. For her, she's seen many deaths and a great deal of bloodshed. I'm positive she will return here one day," Jiraiya reassured her.

Zemaria sat on the rooftop of Jiraiya's home under the moonlight. She wondered how long it would be before Jiraiya too would leave. It wasn't too long. Now Five, Jiraiya yearned to find his destined path in life. Young Zemaria was now of age to enter into the Ninja Academy for her training to become a Shinobi. With her entering into the Academy, Jiraiya left the Village.

"All right class! Settle down. I know you're all excited to be entering into the Academy to become great Shinobi. My name is Iruka Umino and I will be your instructor," Iruka introduced himself.

The class settled down. One rambunctious young Ninja in training couldn't help but start some trouble. His name was Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto from birth lost both of his parents. Because of not having parents to help guide him, he acted out quite a lot. This time was no different. He noticed Zemaria and because she inherited _all_ of Orochimaru's physical looks besides being a female, she not having so much up top looked like a boy.

He let out a laugh and pointed towards her, "Ha ha! Who's the boy that's white as paper!?"

Zemaria whipped her head in his direction and shot him a glare that could kill. He froze unable to speak. The entire class grew absolutely silent. Iruka let out a groan of frustration.

"Naruto! Stop being so rude to your classmates! Sit down and be quiet!" He yelled at him.

Naruto stared a moment, "Iruka-Sensei I was just..." he trailed off and sat down.

Iruka continued explaining the day's activities, "Now, if no one else interrupts class I'll explain what we will be learning today. The first thing you need to know is how Chakra works."

Iruka went on to explain how the body's Chakra networks are intertwined within each and every organ in the body. Hand signs help steady the flow of that Chakra in order to produce a Jutsu. Jutsu can be of Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, or Water. Some can be Ice. He advanced to elaborate there were three types of Jutsu one can learn besides the five elements. Those were Ninjutsu which was the use of the five elements, Taijutsu which was hand to hand combat, and Genjutsu which was using illusions.

As the day went on, class had come to a close. Everyone was dismissed and each child's parents came to take them home. Only two had no one coming for them; Naruto and Zemaria. The two walked in the same direction until Naruto branched off from Zemaria. Night came as Zemaria reached home. She immediately went to her bedroom, climbed on the bed, and stared blankly at a photo of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and herself. She pulled the cover down, slid under, pulled it back up, and fell asleep.

"Mother... Father..." she said as she drifted off.

For several years, she went to class and barely spoke a word. One tiresome morning, Naruto decided to misbehave yet again. He had painted graffiti all over the Hokage faces that were carved into the mountain that stood behind the Hokage building. As punishment for his behavior, everyone was made to perform the transformation Jutsu in class.

"All right, Sakura you're next," Iruka announced.

Sakura Haruno was a naïve, pink-haired, Sasuke Uchiha obsessed ten year old. Yeah, five years had passed since Zemaria was left by her lonesome. Sakura got out of line and walked over to Iruka, did the hand sign, and transformed. It was flawless.

"Okay, transformed into me. Good job Sakura," Iruka jotted down her progress.

After Sakura was Sasuke. Of course, Sakura was all fan girl-eyed at him. After him was none other than Naruto. He did the hand sign and attempted to transform into the Third Hokage, Sarutobi. His transformation was very sloppy. He had huge lips, was too short, and the eyes were uneven.

Iruka scolded him, "Naruto! That doesn't even _look_ like Lord Hokage!"

Naruto pouted, "Oh yeah Sensei? Well try _this_ on for size! Transform!"

He transformed into his 'sexy no Jutsu' where he became an attractive naked female. Iruka's eyes bulged out. His nose bled and he practically past out. After getting himself back together, he scolded Naruto again telling him to quit fooling around. Naruto got back in the line with his classmates. Zemaria was up.

She did the hand signs, "Transform!"

Iruka looked at her stunned. She had transformed perfectly into Orochimaru. At first he had no idea what to say to her. Orochimaru? Why him of all people to transform into? How did she even know about him? All of these things Iruka had been wondering.

"Zemaria, I'd like to talk to you after class," he said a little concerned.

Class eventually ended and Zemaria hung back. Iruka gave her his look of concern before he approached her. He sat on the edge of the long desktop.

"The reason why I asked you to stay has to do with the person you transformed into," he started and then continued, "How do you know the man you turned into?"

Zemaria appeared upset, "He's my father. Why did you want to know so badly?"

He answered, "Orochimaru is part of the Legendary Sannin. Years ago when he was in the Village, people had gone missing. All of them were last seen with him. It was said that he had taken those people so he could perform experiments on them. I'm sure you wouldn't know anything about that. You must have been no more than a baby or not even born at the time."

She looked him in the eyes, "I know father did experiments. I thought I was the only one."

This changed everything. Iruka wasn't sure how to respond. How could someone perform experiments on their own child? Did he really not care about his daughter that much that he'd do such horrible things to her? The room was overwhelmed with silence.

"Please don't stare at me like that. Your eyes scream sympathy," she turned away from his gaze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he started but she had gotten up and started toward the door.

That was that. Iruka now knew Zemaria was Orochimaru's daughter. It was painfully obvious either way. As I said, she looked everything like him.


	2. Chapter 2: Becoming a Gennin

Chapter Two

Becoming a Gennin

Another two years passed. It was finally time; the graduation exam. Zemaria and her classmates were all twelve years old now. That meant it was finally time to graduate from the Academy. Once a student graduates, it meant they had become the first official level of being a Shinobi. That level was called a Gennin. There were three levels one needed to achieve to being on the path of the Shinobi. They were Gennin an entry level Ninja, Chuunin a second level Ninja, and a Jounin the final level Ninja.

In a squad, Gennin followed the orders of Chuunin and Jounin leaders. Chuunin followed the orders of Jounin leaders. The next level above Jounin was Anbu Black Ops for anyone with enough potential. Besides Anbu there was medical Ninja, the interrogation unit, and various other types of Shinobi one could become after taking the appropriate exams for them.

Speaking of exams, everyone was getting ready for the graduation exam. One by one each student entered a specific room. Sitting at the desk up front was Iruka and another Chuunin teacher named Mizuki Touji. Mizuki didn't seem too enthused about the exam taking place. Even so, each student that entered the room performed the clone Jutsu which was the final exam Jutsu needed to perform in order to graduate.

Naruto entered the room and like previous attempts, could barely produce two clones. They were sickly looking and couldn't even stand. Iruka failed him. Zemaria entered the room after him. She produced ten clones without even creating a single hand sign. She was definitely her father's daughter.

"Ten clones? They're absolutely flawless! Zemaria, congratulations. You pass," Iruka proudly announced.

Mizuki questioned her ability, "Just out of curiosity, how did you produce so many clones and not even create a hand sign?"

Zemaria just shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I just can."

She walked over to them and Iruka handed her a headband. The fabric was black and it had a shiny metal plate in the middle with the Leaf symbol engraved into it. Zemaria unfolded the fabric and placed the headband on her forehead and tied it tightly. She then silently left the room.

At the end of the day, every student had graduated. Everyone that is except for Naruto. He was the only student in the entire class that hadn't passed the exam. Zemaria noticed him sitting on the swing he always sat on... alone. He looked so sad. She couldn't help but feel his pain. Having the kindness of her mother, she made her way over to him.

"Hey," she said smiling lightly.

He gave her a weird look, "What do _you_ want?"

"I noticed that you always sit on that swing by yourself. Thought you could use some company is all," her smile became a bit more inviting.

"I heard you were the only one that produced more than three clones today," he randomly pointed out.

"Yeah, I did," she responded.

Naruto stood up from the swing. Glaring at her because of her success, he spun toward the tree and punched it. He was angry that she had been able to make so many clones and he couldn't even make two. Zemaria took a step back not knowing what to do. As he walked past her, a wall created from thorny vines quickly formed in front of Zemaria as a sort of barrier to protect her.

All the new Gennin standing outside excited about graduating now stopped talking and turned their heads in the direction of Zemaria and Naruto. What had just happened? Naruto stopped and curiously stared at the wall of vines. Zemaria reached out her hand and touched it. The thorns didn't hurt. At least, they didn't hurt to _her_.

Naruto finally asked, "How did you do that?"

She responded, "I'm not sure. I... I thought you were going to strike me like you did the tree and then this wall of vines formed."

The silence from the other Gennin transitioned into murmurs about what had just happened. There were only a handful of people not talking about it. Zemaria out of nowhere decided to run off and head home. She had no idea what was going on or how she was able to create vines like that. Day soon turned to night. She fell asleep to await tomorrow when the new Gennin would be assigned squads.

The sun finally came up for the new day. Zemaria slowly opened her eyes to the blinding sunlight. She lifted herself up on the bed, stretched her arms, and threw the covers off. She made her way to her closet to pick out the day's clothes. Fixing her headband, she headed to the door. Shoes on, headband present, clean clothes on. It was time to see who she would be teamed up with.

On her way to the Academy, Zemaria wondered if she'd be on Shikamaru's squad. Oh yeah, no one really knew it but Zemaria secretly had a crush on the laziest student in the Academy; Shikamaru Nara. Little did she know, he also had a crush on her as well. Shikamaru was the absolute laziest student in the entire Academy although it was said that his IQ was through the roof. He simply had zero motivation to becoming a Shinobi.

Finally, Zemaria made it to the Academy building. Pretty much everyone else was there already. She walked in and looked around for somewhere to sit. As she looked for an open seat she noticed Naruto sitting in the front with Sakura and Sasuke next to him. How did Naruto graduate?

"I just hope I'm not stuck with Naruto or Sasuke," Zemaria thought to herself.

"I'm going to be on Sasuke's team," Sakura bragged to Ino.

Ino's eyes screamed hatred, "_I'm_ the one who's going to be on Sasuke's team billboard brow!"

Ino Yamanaka. She was another one the Shinobi world could do without. For years Sakura and Ino had been sworn enemies. Zemaria didn't really understand that too much. She preferred to have nothing to do with fan girls. She preferred to stay far away from Sasuke's fan girls. Zemaria finally found an empty seat... next to Ino. Ino was sitting one row back from Sakura and was next to Shikamaru.

Zemaria sat down. At least she was next to Shikamaru. Well, she was next to _Ino_ who was next to Shikamaru. It was close enough. Everyone was talking up a storm. Iruka entered the room and immediately ordered everyone to quiet down. The room settled and the talking dissipated.

"Today you are all Gennin. As Gennin you will be assigned squads. Now I want you all to pay close attention to who you will be teamed up with," he announced.

Iruka waited a minute. There was light chatter with excitement. Who would everyone be teamed up with they all wondered. Every girl of course wanted to be on Sasuke's team. Okay, every girl except for one. Her name was Hinata Hyuuga. She was a super shy person and only had eyes for Naruto but could never say anything to him.

Iruka continued on, "Squad seven will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and because of an odd number of graduating students your squad will also have Zemaria."

"Sensei, why does my squad have to be the one that gets an extra person?" He barked.

"Naruto, you were the only person that had the lowest scores. To balance that out, your squad was chosen to take an extra person. Instead of having an even number that includes the Jounin leader, your squad will have a total of five people. Between the four of you sitting in this room Sakura, Sasuke, and Zemaria all had excellent scores," Iruka explained to him, hands on his hips.

Naruto pouted and sat down. Zemaria looked upset. She wasn't going to be on Shikamaru's team. The other squads were called out. Squad eight consisted of Chouji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka. Squad ten consisted of Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. All of the mentioned were referred to as 'the rookie ten' and that included Zemaria.

Iruka gave them all instructions on where to meet their squad leader after reading off all of the names. They were dismissed to get to know one another further and have a lunch break. Naruto sulked about being on the same team as Sasuke and also about having an extra member. Sakura as always had gone in search of Sasuke. Zemaria though, had found a nice quiet spot in a tree and took a nap.

You wouldn't think it but her and Shikamaru would be a match made in heaven. Zemaria wasn't nearly as lazy but she did enjoy a nice opportunity to catch a nap in a tree. In a way the two are very much alike. Anyway, lunch break was at an end only forty-five minutes later. Naruto, Sasuke, Zemaria, and Sakura all made it to the room they were told to be in to wait for their new Sensei.

They waited, and waited, and waited. They had waited so long that all the other squads were already gone with their Senseis. Naruto decided to be a wise ass and stick a black board eraser between the door and wall. When their Sensei would open the door, the dry eraser would hit him on the head. Typical Naruto.

He finally showed up. The door opened and bonk! The eraser hit him on the head producing a small cloud of chalk dust as it landed in his hair. The Jounin known as Kakashi Hatake stared blankly at them at first.

"Well," he started, "I'd say my first impression of this group would be... you are all morons."

They all had 'doom' looks plastered on their faces except for Zemaria who wanted no part of their shenanigans. They ended up on the roof of the Academy. The four Gennin sat on a set of steps while Kakashi leaned against the railing. There was an odd silence.

Kakashi finally spoke, "Okay, let's start out by getting to know each other. Tell me a little about yourselves. We'll start with you on the end."

He was referring to Sakura. This would be interesting. The only thing she ever really thought about was Sasuke.

"Well, what I like to do is- no wait, the person I'd like to be with is-" she tried to make a complete sentence, "The plans I have for my future are-" she giggled.

Well that didn't work too well. She could barely even create a complete sentence. Who would he ask for to go next?

"Okay then. Let's move to you next," he looked at Zemaria.

She replied, "I have a dream to be reunited with my parents. I'll do whatever it takes to find them just to see them again."

After she went, Kakashi went on to Naruto. He went on about becoming Hokage one day and his mad obsession with Ramen. Lastly was Sasuke. He seemed more ominous than usual talking about killing someone.

"What about you Sensei?" Zemaria asked him.

"Me? My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't really feel like saying anything more than that. The rest you'll just have to figure out on your own," he stated.

Well that wasn't very helpful at all. After a short awkward silence, he finally gave us new instructions. He said to meet him at a specific spot at the crack of dawn the next day and not to eat breakfast. We were going to have a test to see if we're really ready to be Gennin. The only catch was that if we failed, we'd be sent back to the Academy and start our training all over again.

We went home and rested. At the crack of dawn we all dragged our feet to the training ground we were told to go to. Kakashi was the only one not present. Of course Zemaria's squad would be the one that had the Sensei that was always late.


	3. Chapter 3: Kakashi's Test

Chapter Three

Kakashi's Test

The sun beamed down on the Gennin. It was now seven in the morning. Finally, Kakashi appeared on the path to the training ground. Zemaria's eye twitched. She had gotten up at five for nothing. She was never a morning person. Kakashi was there now and it was time to pay attention.

"Okay, today's task is very simple. All you have to do is take these bells from me," Kakashi explained holding up two bells.

"Sensei, there's only two bells and four of _us_," Zemaria pointed out.

"Normally there's only three and two bells work just fine. I suppose though since there's an extra person I can make it three bells," he decided.

Kakashi removed a bell from his pocket and held it up with the others. They waited for details on what they were to do.

Naruto spoke, "So all we have to do is get a bell from you? That's it?"

"Well," Kakashi started, "you need to get a bell before noon. Otherwise you get no lunch. Anyone who doesn't get a bell will be tied to one of those poles behind you."

Zemaria, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all looked behind them to see three wide wooden poles planted in the ground. Sakura had a look of dismay on her face. Not only had she not eaten breakfast like Kakashi instructed but she barely ate lunch yesterday and completely skipped dinner. Zemaria on the other hand was perfectly fine. Ever since her parents left and then Jiraiya, she was accustomed to going without food for an entire day.

Let me tell you a little more about Zemaria. As you should know, Sasuke is an Uchiha which means he's a fire user. Zemaria also uses fire but she can also use Earth, Water, and Lightning. The only one she can't use is wind. So far she was only capable of using Earth style and Fire Style. Now let me explain more about her visually before we continue. She was fairly thin, average in height, and dressed in a sort of Goth style of fashion.

Orochimaru as she had mentioned to Iruka had performed some experiments on her when she was very young before he left. One of those experiments included modifying her blood. She possesses within her own blood, a black poison. When injected into another's body from her retractable claws; also her dad's doing, it could take up to ten minutes to affect the person. However, when injected into another from her thorny vines, it could kill instantly.

There are other things to know about Zemaria but they will be kept until the time is right to explain them. Speaking of explanations, Kakashi explained how the bells were going to work. He told them to come at him with the intent of killing him otherwise they would never get a bell. They were allowed to use any and all of their weapons and any Jutsu they already knew.

Naruto hot headed as always charged at him ready to get started. Kakashi of course was a lot faster and was able to restrain him with ease. The rest of the squad stared in awe of his speed and precision.

"You know, I never said start," he told Naruto.

Zemaria noted, "He's really fast..."

Kakashi added, "You did come at me as if to kill me so that's a plus."

Naruto groaned, "Ah man. I thought I'd get you by surprise."

Kakashi let him up, "If you are all ready, let's begin."

He had instructed them to be stealthy and to never let your enemy know where you are. Silence and invisibility were key to this test. They all went into hiding. Well everyone except Naruto. Kakashi observed Sakura, Zemaria, and Sasuke all find a place to hide in the shadows and then noticed Naruto was standing out in the open staring him down.

"Well, most of them got the idea," he said staring back at Naruto.

"I'm going to be the one to get a bell Sensei!" He yelled confidently.

Naruto charged at Kakashi. They engaged in a short lived battle using Taijutsu. That was battle technique number one. It ended with Kakashi's 'thousand years of death' which was just him poking Naruto in the bum and sending him flying into the nearby body of water.

Round two started with Naruto flying out of the water with a group of Shadow Clones. Oh yeah, Naruto had stolen a forbidden scroll and learned an advanced clone technique called Shadow Clone. It produces solid clones to where you can't tell which one is the real user. This round was over quicker than the first one.

Kakashi outsmarted Naruto by using Substitution Jutsu and replacing himself with one of Naruto's clones. Zemaria was closely observing everything and knew what had happened. Naruto saw a bell lying on the ground. Of course without thinking about it, he tried to grab it. And of course Kakashi had a trap set.

He came out of hiding while Naruto dangled above from a tree to explain he needed to see through deception. Zemaria took this opportunity to strategically throw three kunai with paper bombs attached in Kakashi's direction. They hit him and exploded but he had used Substitution again to dodge them.

"Damn it. Why did I think that would work?" She muttered and quickly ran to find a new spot.

"Zemaria, what were you thinking? You gave away our positions," Sakura thought as she too ran to find a new spot to hide.

Sasuke went in search of another spot as well. Sakura found a hiding spot behind a bush. Kakashi was facing away from her on a path below. As she hid, Naruto cut himself down from his imposition only to land himself on another trap. Eventually he got himself out of it.

"Good, he didn't hear me," Sakura sighed relieved.

Kakashi snuck up on her, "Hey Sakura."

Sakura let out a scream and passed out. Kakashi stared a moment unsure of what had just happened. When she woke, Kakashi was gone. Sasuke appeared covered in blood and kunai. She of course... passed out again. It was simply a Genjutsu. That was battle technique number three. Ninjutsu was number two.

Zemaria spotted Kakashi. She knew better than to confront him directly unlike Naruto. She also wasn't dumb enough to be tricked by a Genjutsu. Waiting for an opening, she carefully watched his every move. Finally that opening came.

"I have to say, you're a lot stealthier than Naruto and not fragile like Sakura," Kakashi stated.

"I'm not like them or Sasuke at all," she insisted.

"Let's see about that then. Bring out all you've got!" He readied himself.

She did a few hand signs, "Earth style, quick sand Jutsu!"

The earth under Kakashi's feet began to soften and started spinning. Kakashi started sinking. He looked shocked. She followed with Phoenix Flower Jutsu which shocked Kakashi even more as Gennin shouldn't be able to use fire style so soon. He was trapped. Then again this _was_ Kakashi we were talking about.

He found a way to avoid the fire style by using his own Earth Style. Kakashi tried head hunter Jutsu but Zemaria was too smart. She leapt up into the air and avoided him. She stood directly in front of him now. Staring dead into his eyes she used a paralyzing Gen Jutsu on him.

"No way! Gennin definitely shouldn't be able to use Gen Jutsu at their level," he said in utter disbelief.

"Are you scared of seeing your own death Sensei?" She asked him grinning.

"How is this possible!? First Fire Style which takes up way too much Chakra to be able to use and now _Gen Jutsu_!?" He didn't know what to do.

Zemaria's vines crept up to him. They started winding around his legs making their way up. A second set of vines shot up from the ground and grabbed his arms. She swiftly walked over to him, set into her eyes. Kakashi could see how cold and dark they were. She snagged a bell from him.

Holding it up she said in an equally cold voice, "Thanks for the bell Sensei."

Releasing the Gen Jutsu and the vines, she simply stood back and let her vines wrap around her waist and carry her off. As she floated away she let out a dark laugh.

"What the hell just happened?" Kakashi questioned.

How could a Jounin of his level let a Gennin get the best of him like that? As he stood there confused and for once a bit scared, Sasuke made _his_ move. Unfortunately he didn't have as much luck. He got close enough to touch a bell but that was it. Kakashi had gathered himself and snapped back to reality focusing all of his attention on Sasuke.

Sasuke had also used a Fire Style Jutsu. His was Fireball. By now Kakashi wasn't so surprised after having his round with Zemaria. Eventually the timer that was set had gone off indicating it was Noon. They all met back at the posts. Naruto was already tied to one for trying to steal a lunch box.

Kakashi sounded disappointed, "Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke you all fail. None of you were able to get a bell from me. The only one who was able to was Zemaria. However, I'll give you another chance. Eat lunch now to build up strength. There's one rule though, no one feeds Naruto. He thought he could be a smart ass and eat his lunch early. His punishment for that is being tied to the pole and not getting lunch."

"Awe come on Sensei! I was just so hungry!" Naruto pleaded.

Sakura simply asked, "Sensei, how exactly did we fail?"

"Simple, Sakura you were wrapped up being worried about Sasuke. Sasuke was caught up in revenge. And Naruto was only thinking of himself. If you want to get the bells then you need to work as a team. Why do you think there's squads of four people? In this case, a total of five including myself," He explained.

"Easy, when you work as a team together you can have each other's backs. You can protect one another and work more efficiently," Zemaria answered for him.

Kakashi glanced at her and then the others, "Right. It's Teamwork. If one of your team mates is in trouble and you need to make a quick decision you need to know how to work together in order to get out of that situation."

The three of them looked down in disappointment and failure. Kakashi handed Sasuke, Sakura, and Zemaria a lunch box and disappeared. As they began eating, they heard Naruto's stomach growling. What were they to do? Kakashi made it clear they weren't allowed to feed him. They did it anyway.

Sasuke explained to Sakura that Naruto would be of no use to them if he were hungry. Sakura then offered him her lunch seeing Sasuke's point. She held her box up to him but he pointed out that his hands were tied and she'd have to feed him. Zemaria snickered watching them.

Kakashi appeared in an angry cloud, "What did I say about feeding Naruto!?"

The three of them freaked out. They tried to collect themselves. Zemaria continued watching feeling amused by all of this.

"You- you told us we needed to work as a team!" Sakura spoke first.

"That's right Sensei. Naruto is no good to us if he's hungry and weak!" Sasuke chimed in.

Kakashi closed his eye that wasn't covered and smiled, "You pass."

All three asked, "What!?"

He said it slower, "You... pass."

"How?" Asked Sakura.

He explained that they figured out what others could not. Previous squads had refused to help their comrade when one had been tied to the pole and told they weren't allowed to eat. Only they figured out that in order to complete a mission successfully, all their squad members needed to be at 100% even if it meant bending the rules.

Now that they were officially Squad Seven including Zemaria, Kakashi announced they'd have their first mission the next day. They all left to go home. Well, all of them except Naruto whom was left tied to the pole. The squad carried out many D ranked missions which are designated for Gennin and Chuunin. Naruto of course complained about every single one of them.


	4. Chapter 4: The Impossible Mission

Chapter Four

The Impossible Mission

After enough of Naruto's constant complaining about 'kid missions', the Hokage finally assigned the squad to a C ranked mission. C missions are given mostly to Chuunins. Today was the exception. They were going to be body guards for a master Bridge Builder. His name was Tazuna and he came from the Land of Waves. Lord Hokage asked him to enter the room.

Tazuna walked in and took one look at the Gennin, "What? You have got to be kidding me! I'm going to be protected by a bunch of children!?"

Naruto's nostrils flared, "Who are you calling a bunch of children old man?"

The arguing continued until Sakura landed a smack across Naruto's face and told him to stop acting so childish. They went on their way out of the Village. Tazuna had requested the services of the Leaf Shinobi to protect him from bandits but hadn't told them the full story.

As they made their way to the Land of Waves, they passed a random puddle of water in the middle of the path. No one really thought anything of it except for Kakashi. Sure enough his suspicions were right. Two Chuunin Ninja flew up out of the puddle and attacked Kakashi. The Chuunin were referred to as The Demon Brothers.

Kakashi used substitution in order to free himself from their chains around him. The one Chuunin went after Tazuna while the other provided a distraction. Sasuke took care of them first. They proceeded to attack Tazuna. Sakura was in formation to protect him. Sasuke quickly went in front of her to protect both of them. Before Kakashi could show himself and stop them, Zemaria took action.

She went in front of all three of them. Her vines quickly took hold of the brothers. Their sharp thorns piercing their bodies. She had the thorns inject them with her poison. They went weak and their limbs went numb.

"Zemaria, we don't want them dead," Kakashi showed himself finally.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-Sensei. I got a bit carried away," she apologized.

Kakashi interrogated the brothers but was unable to get anywhere with them. He determined that they were targeting the Bridge Builder. The next question was why him? What wasn't he telling them? Tazuna finally explained the whole story as they proceeded on and were making their way on a small boat entering the Land of Waves.

"So you paid for the mission to be C ranked because you were unable to pay for a B or A rank?" Zemaria asked trying to understand.

A horrible short man named Gato had been wreaking havoc upon Tazuna's Village. He and his goons were terrorizing the people there. Gato didn't want the bridge to be completed because it would mean more trade with the land they were connecting to and less money in his pocket. Kakashi and the squad agreed to safely guide him back to his home and that would be where their job ended.

Of course it wasn't going to be made as simple as that. They kept their guard up walking along the path toward the Village and Tazuna's home. Not that far along, a huge sword came flying out from the trees. Kakashi told everyone to duck down. The sword landed in the side of a tree. It was in there pretty deep. Someone stood on the handle of it.

Kakashi stood in silence. The man was Zabuza Momochi. He was also referred to as The Demon of the Mist from the Hidden Mist Village. He faced away from the group.

"No wonder the Demon Brothers couldn't take down a couple of kids. They were up against Kakashi the Copy Ninja," Zabuza observed turning to face them.

"Actually," Zemaria spoke up, "_I_ was the one that delivered the final blow."

Zabuza laughed, "_You_!? There's no way a scrawny little girl Gennin could take down not one but two Chuunin!"

"Would you like me to prove you wrong?" She glared at him.

Zemaria was ready to attack but Kakashi held an arm out to stop her. This was no Chuunin. Zabuza was a Jounin. He was Kakashi's level of Ninja. He was also very dangerous. The sword he wielded was known as the Head Clever because the blade was so sharp it could cut a human head clean off its body. Zabuza didn't mess around.

Kakashi ordered his Gennin to take formation around Tazuna and protect him at all costs. He would handle Zabuza. Sure enough, Zabuza used the Hidden Mist Jutsu to cloud or attempt to cloud Kakashi's vision. His greatest ability was being a silent killer. He started with creating a water clone and disappeared into the mist. Kakashi lifted up his headband and revealed a Sharingan eye.

The Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai special to the Uchiha bloodline. Kakashi of course was _not_ an Uchiha. However, he did have one Sharingan. Sasuke began shaking a bit in his hand. This was going to be an intense battle. The four young Gennin had never faced a Jounin before. They stayed in formation to protect Tazuna.

Zabuza stealthily appeared behind them. Kakashi just as quickly went between him and Tazuna. Zabuza's sword sliced through Kakashi but he had pulled a fast one on him by using his own water clone. When Zabuza had created his clone, Kakashi had already copied it. He appeared behind him with a kunai to his throat.

"How very clever. You had already copied my water clone Jutsu and used it as a decoy when I attacked," Zabuza deduced.

"I will not let you harm Tazuna. My squad and I are here to protect him," Kakashi said.

The battle started to heat up at this point. Zabuza used the back of his blade to fling Kakashi in the air. He landed in the water some lengths away. The real Zabuza disappeared and reappeared next to Kakashi. He did several hand signs and created a water prison capturing Kakashi in it. What was the squad to do now? Their leader and Sensei was just captured.

Zemaria grew very much angered, "Kakashi-Sensei! You eyebrowless bastard!"

Disregarding her orders to stay with Tazuna, she charged blindly into the battle. Zabuza's clone was the one she would fight as the real one was stuck having his hand keeping the water prison in place. Zemaria did some hand signs and had a plan in her mind.

"Water style! Water Dragon Vortex Jutsu!" She said still running toward Zabuza.

"What? The little girl can use water style?" Zabuza questioned in confusion.

A spinning vortex of water in the shape of a dragon formed. It charged at Zabuza in an angry rage. The clone wasn't fast enough to dodge it. A direct hit. Zemaria now had her eyes set on the real one. Her vines started to take hold of him. He took a kunai and started cutting them to free himself.

Zemaria stopped dead in her tracks, "Ah! Why am I feeling that?"

Zabuza watched her drop to her knees, "Awe, does it hurt when I cut your vines down?"

He cut a few more. Zemaria screamed in pain. The vines were somehow connected to her blood for some reason. How could that be? She couldn't stand up. The pain was too great. Naruto and Sasuke had a plan. Naruto started by creating his shadow clones. They attacked and each one was defeated. Zabuza created another water clone to keep them at bay. Sasuke took out a giant shuriken from his bag, spun around, and threw it in the direction of both Zabuzas.

The clone dodged it. The real one ducked out of the way. Sasuke had used Shadow Shuriken. There was a second shuriken in the shadow of the first. However, the second one was really Naruto. He had transformed into a shuriken so that he could change back in order to throw the real one at Zabuza to force him to release the water prison. It worked too.

The battle raged on between Kakashi and Zabuza until an unknown ninja wearing an Anbu mask for the Mist Village threw senbon at Zabuza. They landed in the side of his neck knocking him out and stopping his heart. The ninja introduced himself as a tracker ninja. One that tracks down rouges and disposes of them so enemies couldn't steal their secrets and Jutsu.

He took Zabuza's body and disappeared. Kakashi and his team continued on with Tazuna but didn't get very far when Kakashi passed out from over using his Sharingan. Tazuna had brought him and the rest of the team back to his home for rest. Several days past before Tazuna went back to work on the bridge.

Zabuza made a return appearance at the bridge along with the tracker ninja who was really Haku. Haku was a young Ninja with an extra special Kekkei Genkai. He could use a special move called Crystal Ice Mirrors. The two had been together since Haku lost his parents because those with Kekkei Genkai in his Village were shunned upon way back when. His father didn't know he had his ability until he caught him using it.

Anyway, Haku was instructed to engage in battle with Sasuke. Zabuza would keep an eye on Kakashi, Sakura, and Zemaria. Naruto was still at Tazuna's house. He was so exhausted from extra training that no one wanted to wake him.

"I was really hoping you were dead," Zemaria said her eye twitching.

"I'd like to see even more of your abilities," he replied.

"Bring it on!" She filled with pure rage toward him.

Kakashi insisted Sakura stay with Tazuna. He knew he'd have to keep an eye on Zemaria if she were to battle Zabuza. She let out an extremely high pitched screech that lasted around an entire minute. Zabuza couldn't stand it. He activated the Hidden Mist Jutsu and made it thicker than the last time. The screeching stopped and he took the chance to attack. He appeared behind her as he did during the fight with Kakashi. As his blade swung towards her, she ducked out of the way and made an attempt to low kick him to knock him off balance. It didn't work.

He jumped up avoiding her leg. Zemaria jumped back in case he would use the blade again. They stood silent a moment to created a battle plan.

Zemaria charged towards him, "Lightning palm!"

She struck him in the chest with her palm sending a shockwave into his body. He hadn't expected that at all. Zemaria stood in a very defiant stance ready to attack again. Eventually Naruto showed up at the bridge and ended up inside Haku's crystal mirrors with Sasuke. The two battled it out with him until Sasuke had so many senbon in him he looked like a pin cushion.

Because of this, Naruto was pissed. The seal keeping the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of him began to weaken. Red Chakra exploded from his body spinning around in a blind rage. He ended up defeating Haku injuring badly. The battle between Zabuza and Zemaria started to come to a close. Zabuza knocked Zemaria unconscious. She was wounded pretty badly. Kakashi took over. He ended things quickly this time.

Soon after, Gato and his goons appeared on the bridge as well. Zabuza took them down after Gato insulted Haku lying lifeless in front of them. It was all over. Gato was dead, his goons ran off, Haku was dead, and Zabuza died lying next to his companion. The Villagers decided to name the bridge "The Great Naruto Bridge." The team went home.


	5. Chapter 5: Start the Chuunin Exam!

Chapter Five

Start the Chuunin Exam!

Now that the battle with Zabuza had ended, the team was able to rest up a bit and take it easy for a few days. Kakashi asked them to meet up with him later in the day. As always, he was late. They were waiting on one of the bridges in the Village for several hours before he showed up.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" He asked.

"How's it going!?" They all yelled at him.

"Sensei, you asked us here four hours ago! You're late!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi came up with a cover story, "I was lost on the path of life."

Zemaria smacked him upside the back of his head and glared at him. The path of life my ass. He wasn't too thrilled about her approach. The reason why he wanted to meet up with them was simple. The Chuunin Exams were coming up.

The Chuunin Exams is a series of tests need to be taken in order to be promoted from Gennin to Chuunin. There was the entrance exam, a second exam, and a final exam with one on one battles. Kakashi explained everything and handed each of them a form to fill out and hand in. Since their team had one extra person, if one of them didn't wish to participate in it, the rest could still participate. The requirement was a full squad of Gennin which only consisted of three people not four.

They took the forms and filled them out. All they had to do now was wait. The Hokage called for a meeting of the Jounin with squads in concerns to the Exams. He asked them one by one if they would recommend their squads for them. All three leaders of the rookie ten recommended their teams for the Chuunin exams.

Iruka gasped, "Hold on! Lord Hokage, all of the names mentioned were all of my former students. They've all _just_ graduated and became Gennin. It's too soon to have them in the Chuunin exams!"

He was adamant that none of the ten Gennin were ready. Kakashi assured him that they were in fact ready. He also made it extremely clear that they weren't Iruka's students anymore. Naruto, Sakura, Zemaria, and Sasuke were _his_ students now. With that, the Hokage insisted that they leave things be and all ten Gennin would be in the Chuunin Exams.

Another two days passed and they all gathered in the first building to take a written exam. They were instructed to go to the third floor of the building. Two male Gennin were standing outside of the room preventing others from entering. Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Zemaria walk over.

"Let us through," Sasuke said not hesitating at all.

"We're not going to let you," Izuma told him.

Zemaria knew it was Kotetsu and Izuma but didn't let on, "We know this is only the second floor so you can release the Gen Jutsu from the sign. We're going to the third floor."

"What a good eye. You saw through the Gen Jutsu did you?" Kotetsu remarked pretending not to know Zemaria.

He released the Gen Jutsu and let them pass. To point out a few important people in this journey, there was a squad that was held back a year from the Chuunin exams to gain more experience and training before taking them on. They were Tenten, Rock Lee, and Neji Hyuuga. They were older than Naruto and his friends.

Neji, Tenten, and Lee were amazed that Zemaria immediately saw through the deception. Initially they had thought they'd be the only ones capable of seeing through Gen Jutsu.

"Hold on. You, the girl that saw through the Jutsu, what is your name?" Neji asked as they were walking away.

Zemaria stopped and turned to face him, "Me? You'll have to find that out during a battle."

Neji scoffed as she smiled, winked, and walked off again. Lee saw Sakura and had fallen head over heels for her. In case you're wondering, Zemaria looked more female now than she did several years ago. She had a bit more up top. They finally got to the correct room and Kakashi was standing outside the doors.

"Glad you could all make it," he smiled.

"Thanks Sensei," they all replied.

He wished them luck and opened the doors for them. As they entered the room, all of their friends greeted them. Kiba messed with Naruto wondering how he got this far along. Ino and Sakura of course had sparks flying between them about Sasuke.

They made so much noise that everyone else in the room just glared at them. One Gennin approached them. He was fairly tall with white hair pulled back in a pony tail and wore glasses. His name was Kabuto Yakushi.

"You know, I'd keep the volume down if I were you. Everyone here is pretty touchy during the Chuunin exams," he warned.

"Who are you exactly?" Asked Kiba.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi. I've been going through the Chuunin exams ten times. This time will be my eleventh," he said with a light laugh.

They all stared at him with the same thought of 'this guy has done these exams ten times and never passed?' That made him two things: pathetic and a veteran. His massive amount of experience gave him an advantage on how things worked. He explained that he had special cards that when activated with Chakra could reveal a map or information of specific Ninja.

The ten Gennin and Kabuto had gotten so wrapped up in conversation that they were a bit startled when the Proctor appeared out of nowhere. This was Ibiki Morino. He was a tough looking Jounin that was part of the Interrogation Unit specializing in psychological torture. He ordered everyone to quiet down and told them to come up one at a time to receive a number to tell them where they'd be sitting.

"I hate written exams. They're my worst type," Naruto complained.

"Pipe down. Maybe even if you don't pass, the rest of us can since we have an extra person," Zemaria suggested.

"The rules here are simple. If you are caught cheating, the sentinels will deduct two points from your score. If you are caught five times you will receive a zero. In addition, your _entire_ team will be disqualified!" Ibiki expressed the rules firmly.

There was a lot of murmuring amongst the Gennin. It was ridiculous to think that if you were caught cheating five times, you not only lost two points each time but your whole team would be disqualified. There was one point for each question. Those who remained would have to answer a tenth non-written question.

The test began and soon enough everyone but Naruto figured out that it wasn't designed to prevent cheating. The test was designed to encourage it. Anyone who was stupid enough to get caught cheating don't deserve to be a Ninja. The trick was to cheat and not get caught. Before long, six teams were caught and disqualified.

There was a team from the Sand Village that was very inconspicuous about how they cheated. There was Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. Kankuro went with a sneaky technique using his special puppet as a sentinel the ones watching the Gennin like hawks to catch them cheating. He passed the information onto his team mate Temari. Gaara opened up his third eye and used it to get the answers.

"Alright everyone! Pencils down. Your time is up," Ibiki announced looking at the clock.

"This is bad. This is bad! I didn't answer a single question! I'm doomed!" Naruto thought to himself.

"Before I asked you the tenth and final question, is there anyone who wants to back out _now_? By doing so, you and your team will have to leave," Ibiki asked.

Several people raised their hands and they plus the rest of their teams were disqualified. They stood up and left the room. Ibiki waited before asking if there were anymore that wanted to leave.

"It looks like that's all of them. No one else wants to leave?" He asked again, "Good. There's just one more thing then and that's say, you all pass."

There was a long silence. Passed? That didn't make any sense. How did everyone that was left pass?

"Excuse me, what was the tenth question supposed to be?" Someone asked.

Ibiki answered, "That was the tenth and final question. Those who stayed have proven to be committed to being Shinobi and would do anything to complete a mission."

Out of nowhere, a banner flew through the window and unrolled. Following the banner was a young female Jounin named Anko Mitarashi. She stood in front of the banner with excitement and spirit. Zemaria recognized her. She had a flash image of when she was four and had saw her dad for the first time since he had left the Leaf.

Anko was there too. He had introduced them to each other. Anko and Zemaria locked eyes. She made the same connection. At first she thought it was Orochimaru making a horrible attempt at a transformation Jutsu but quickly realized that his daughter looked identical to him. She told everyone in the room to be at the Forest of Death training grounds bright and early the next day.

"I know that proctor," Zemaria told herself.

Everyone left the room. Anko asked Ibiki why he let so many people pass on to the next exam. She told him he was getting soft. When he looked at Naruto's exam paper, he realized he passed someone who didn't answer a single question.


	6. Chapter 6: The Forest of Death

Chapter Six

The Forest of Death

The next day, all the Gennin were waiting in front of the fencing to the Forest of Death. Anko was in high spirits just like the day before. The second exam was about obtaining two scrolls; an Earth Scroll and a Heaven Scroll. After acquiring both scrolls, the teams would need to safely arrive at a building in the middle of the forest.

"The point of this exam is survival and the ability to obtain scrolls and documents to deliver safely to their destination without getting killed by an enemy. Today each team will be handed either an Earth Scroll or a Heaven Scroll. If you have the Earth Scroll then you will need to defeat a team that has a Heaven scroll and vise versa," Anko explained.

The teams would be in the forest for three days. Anko handed out liability forms in case of injury or death. Everyone filled them out and handed them in with their teams to receive a scroll. Before they went to their gates when Anko had been explaining how the exam was to go, she had thrown a kunai that brushed against Naruto's cheek creating a small cut.

A grass Ninja had used his obscenely long tongue to return the knife to Anko who had stood behind Naruto. The grass Ninja explained he had gotten nervous and the sight of blood excited him for the Exam. Zemaria had the feeling the Ninja was really Orochimaru in disguise. After all that disruption, they all gathered outside their designated gates and waited for Anko's word for them to begin.

"Three... two... one... unlock the gates!" She yelled.

The Chuunin in charge of each gate unlocked them. Anko waited keeping an eye on the time.

"Let the fun begin!" She let out an excited yell.

The gates flew open and the teams rushed in. Lee immediately rushed ahead of his team mates. Neji told him to slow his pace and save his energy for when they have to encounter other teams. Shikamaru and his team automatically went into hiding. Shikamaru himself didn't want to be there.

"Awe man. What a drag," he complained.

"Will you quite your complaining!?" Ino barked at him.

Shikamaru and his team cowardly hid as they traveled along to find the scroll they needed. The Grass Ninja from earlier had one goal and that was going after Sasuke. Speaking of whom, he and his team found a spot to get their plan together. Naruto had a sudden need to relieve himself and Sakura socked him one for trying to do so in front of her.

He went off several feet away to relieve himself. It took a while but he finally returned. He bragged about how badly he needed to wiz.

Zemaria threw a kunai at him, "Who are you and where's Naruto?"

Naruto dodged the kunai and freaked out on her, "Hey calm down!"

"Zemaria, what are you doing? That's Naruto. Why are you throwing kunai at him?" Sakura asked confused.

"That's _not_ Naruto! The real Naruto is right handed yet his kunai holster is on the left leg. And where's the scratch he received from the proctor before we started?"

Sasuke agreed, "Zemaria is right. That's not the real Naruto. So who are you?"

The Ninja chuckled, "You're not as stupid as you look. I've come for your scroll!"

He released the transformation Jutsu revealing himself as a Ninja from the Village hidden in the Rain. The three fought him off noticing that he wasn't there with his team but instead he was alone. There was no sign of Naruto though. After a few minutes he finally got back to his team. They had to make sure it was him and not an enemy pretending to be him. Sasuke developed a security measure to be sure they could tell each other apart from impostors.

Just then, an attack was made on them. Sasuke, Sakura, and Zemaria were separated from Naruto. He was the only one who couldn't dodge quick enough to avoid the attack. Sakura wasn't that far from Sasuke who was with Zemaria. She came out from the bushes and recited the secret phrase. It was really her.

Next was Naruto who found them. They asked him to recite the secret phrase and he did so perfectly. It wasn't him. They all knew right away that it was an impostor.

"How did you know?" The Ninja asked slyly as he released the Jutsu.

"Naruto isn't nearly smart enough to remember all of that perfectly," Sasuke told him.

Zemaria knew her feeling earlier was right, "Father?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Asked Sakura.

The Grass Ninja used the same paralyzing Gen Jutsu Zemaria had used on Zabuza. Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones affected. That just confirmed Zemaria's suspicions. Sasuke was affected the most.

"Are you afraid of death?" He asked him.

Sasuke thought to himself as he saw his own death, "Move Sasuke! Why won't you move!?"

He finally stabbed his leg with a kunai, grabbed Sakura, and jumped away with her as the Ninja threw a slew of Kunai at them. Zemaria had simply created a wall of vines in front of her. They stood there together.

"Father, it's been so long. What are you doing back in the Village?" She asked him.

Orochimaru replied, "You're as smart as ever my child. I'm here for many reasons. You've grown so much."

One of his giant snakes was about to attack Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke was still terrified from seeing his own death and Sakura had to get _him_ to safety. Orochimaru and Zemaria engaged in battle until she was reunited with Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke snapped back to reality. Orochimaru started bad mouthing the Uchiha clan and called Sasuke weak and should be ashamed of being an Uchiha. He was nothing like his brother.

Sasuke was pissed and attacked him. It was his turn to engage in a battle with him. Towards the end of the battle, Orochimaru wrapped his body around one of the tree branches and advanced towards Sasuke to finish what he started. Naruto finally found his team. He of course forgot the secret phrase. It was definitely him. He had thrown Kunai between Sasuke and Orochimaru. Sasuke was on his knees out of breath and low on Chakra. Naruto got him away from Orochimaru.

All four were back together and standing in the same tree. Orochimaru tried another approach and used a giant snake to attack them. Naruto for once had a quick reaction and stopped it before Sasuke could. Orochimaru came out of the dying snake's head, wrapped his long snake tongue around Naruto lifting him up in the air, and lifted his shirt. Clear as day there was a seal on his stomach.

"Interesting, this child has the nine-tails in him. I'll put an end to this. Five prong Seal!" He said as each finger glowed blue. He placed the seal outside of the original seal.

Naruto passed out. Orochimaru tossed him aside. Sakura threw a kunai and it landed in his jacket and he stuck to a tree. He put his focus back on Sasuke and the others.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again father," Zemaria said.

She went over to him and hugged him completely ignoring the fact that her friend and comrade was knocked unconscious by him and tossed aside. Hesitating, he hugged her back. The hug didn't last too long before she rejoined her team.

Sasuke asked her, "What the hell was that all about? Father?"

Zemaria calmly answered, "He's my father using a transformation Jutsu. Why I don't know but it's him."

Sakura asked a question of her own, "Why don't you seem concerned about what he just did to Naruto?"

"Naruto is always getting beaten by someone. It's really nothing new," she told her.

Orochimaru made a hand sign and stretched his head all the way over to Sasuke and bit him in the neck. Retracting his head, he smiled and laughed. Sasuke screamed in pain.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled, "What did you do to him!?"

"I just gave him a parting gift. One day Sasuke will go in search of more power and he'll seek me out. Just make sure he passes the Chuunin Exams," he said and disappeared into the tree trunk.

Zemaria said nothing. Sasuke lost consciousness. With Sakura and Zemaria's help Naruto and Sasuke were brought to a safer spot. They took care of them and took turns keeping watch for enemies. Sakura fell asleep. Zemaria created a wall of thorns in front of the entrance to the hole in the tree they found as a safe spot.

While they were taking care of their fallen team mates, Lee found a little squirrel with a paper bomb on its back. He removed it and saved the little guy. Hidden in the shadows was a team of Sound Ninja. They were helping Orochimaru and were told to target Sasuke. One of the Ninja made a move.

Zemaria dodged the attack, "Is that all you have? You can't even hide properly."

"You aren't the one we're after," he told her.

"You're after Sasuke aren't you?" She asked.

"So what if we are," he said.

Zemaria fought him to protect her team. She released the vines from the opening to let Sakura assist her if need be. Sure enough after a few attacks, Zemaria was in a bit of a spot and had gotten beaten pretty badly. The three Sound Ninja were Zaku, Dosu, and Kin. Zaku had wind holes in his hands, Dosu had a contraption attached to his one arm, and Kin used senbon which some had bells.

Zemaria and Sakura fought them only to fail. Lee found them and decided to help out. Try as he might, he too failed to defeat them. Sasuke finally woke up. He was surrounded by purple Chakra and the mark Orochimaru left on him spread to his face and down his arm.

"Sakura, did these Ninja hurt you?" Sasuke asked in a dark voice.

"S-Sasuke?" She asked in shock.

"Did these Ninja _hurt you_?" He asked again pissed.

Sakura told him they attacked Zemaria and her and that Lee came to help. He told Lee to stand back and that he would handle things. Sasuke took down Zaku with ease by popping his arms out of their sockets. Dosu quickly took him and he and Kin retreated. Afterwards, Sakura got Sasuke back to normal. Naruto woke up and was confused by what happened.

By the second day, Sasuke and his team were resourceful and were capable of retrieving their own food. Naruto being Naruto wanted to peek at the scroll. That was against the rules. Luckily Kabuto came along and stopped him. If the scroll is opened without its pair, it knocks the person out and puts them in a sleep.

He helped guide them along and in the process assist them in getting the scroll they needed. Towards the third day, they encountered their 'friend' that first tried to impersonate Naruto. He was with his team this time. They used clones that couldn't just poof away when attacked.

"Oh yeah? Those clones are nothing!" Zemaria said.

She did hand signs and created her own clones along with Naruto creating his Shadow Clones. The only difference between Naruto's and the enemies' was Zemaria's were called Immortal Clones. It was a special forbidden Jutsu she created while in the care of her father. The clones had the ability to take damage and not disappear. It was a Jutsu unique to Zemaria.

"What? Her clones don't disappear?" One of them said.

Kabuto thought, "This Zemaria is tough."

The battle came to an end and Naruto and his team plus Kabuto won. They took their scroll and it was the one they needed. After putting them away, they continued on towards the building. As they reached the building, Kabuto said his good-byes and they entered separate rooms. The room he entered had Orochimaru in it.

"How is Sasuke coming along?" He asked him.

Kabuto told him, "He took to the curse mark almost immediately."

He smiled, "Good. Things are going just as I planned."

"Lord Orochimaru, who's the girl on their team that looks just like you?" He questioned him.

Smiling even more, he answered, "She's my daughter."

In the room with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Zemaria they opened the scrolls. Iruka appeared from them.

"Iruka-Sensei? What are you doing here?" Asked Sasuke.

Iruka answered, "I asked to be the one that appeared when you reached the tower."

He explained what the writing on the wall was about and why he was there. He also congratulated them on making it thus far and passing the second exam. After his speech he said his goodbyes and poofed away. Not long after, all the teams that passed ended up in the building used for preliminary rounds.


	7. Chapter 7: Preliminary Rounds

Chapter Seven

Preliminary Rounds

The Hokage was present along with each team's Squad Leaders. Anko was also there. She had encountered Orochimaru in the forest after discovering the corpses of three Grass Ninja. They were the ones Orochimaru and two others were masquerading as. Lord Hokage and the Anbu were aware that Orochimaru had returned to the Village.

He instructed them not to make a move but instead to just keep on guard just in case. They didn't know his plans so they were unable to proceed with counter measures. Lord Hokage explained what would happen now that the final count of teams had made it through the Forest of Death.

"Because there are so many teams that survived the last exam," he started, "we will be holding preliminary rounds to begin immediately."

"What? You mean we don't get time to rest?" Someone asked.

He shook his head, "There's not enough time to rest and wait to do this. From all of the nations' Shinobi and leaders of Villages along with delegates are traveling to the Leaf Village to bear witness to the Chuunin Exams. They only want to see the very best. In order for that to happen, preliminary rounds are necessary."

"The matches will be decided via the computer randomly matching each person," Hayate explained.

With all the explanations out, the computer randomized all of the names. The first two names appeared; Sasuke Uchiha Vs Yoroi Akado. Looked like Sasuke had the first match. The two stayed on ground level while everyone else including Senseis went up to the higher level to watch the match from a safe distance.

It wasn't a very long match and in the end Sasuke won it. Each match proved to be intense. Neji was against Hinata who were Cousins. Temari was against Tenten. Lee against Gaara. Directly after Sasuke's match, Kakashi had escorted him out of the building. He needed to seal the curse mark so that it wouldn't take over Sasuke.

Kakashi had set everything up in a private spot for the sealing process. He had just performed the Jutsu for it when Orochimaru showed up. Kakashi stood ready to fight to protect the now unconscious Sasuke.

"What do you want here Orochimaru?" Kakashi asked.

He replied, "I'm here because of Sasuke. One day he'll come looking for me and you and your sealing Jutsu won't be able to stop him. It will be of his own choosing."

Apparently he hadn't come there to fight him. Instead he was giving him a heads up about Sasuke and his thirst for power. They had a short lived conversation before Orochimaru disappeared laughing.

Zemaria was a little nervous. She made a trip to the bathroom to gather herself and to clean up some of the blood on her. After getting washed up she looked into the mirror and Orochimaru hiding himself looking like a Jounin leader was standing behind her. She turned to face him.

"Father, what are you doing in here?" She asked him.

He smiled, "I came to tell you not to lose here today. I'm going to need your help later on and I'd like to see how you fair in the final battles."

"I won't lose, I promise," she told him and left the bathroom.

Zemaria was up. Her match was against Zaku. Orochimaru still looking like a normal Jounin was on the upper level watching her closely.

"We meet again. I won't be as kind as Sasuke was," She said and smirked.

"Am I supposed to be afraid of you little girl?" He said smiling.

The match began. Both of Zaku's arms were wrapped up and in slings. He couldn't use his arms in the match right away. Zemaria used her vines to attack first. He dodged them except for one which whipped him and threw him against the wall. She used Hidden Mist Jutsu.

Naruto was antsy, "What's going on? I can't see a thing!"

Kakashi had his Sharingan eye on this battle. Zaku was getting feeling back in his one arm and removed it from the sling. He used a sound technique from the hole in his hand. She dodged it.

Doing hand signs she said, "Earth Style mud slide Jutsu!"

The hard floor turned to mud and rushed towards him. He dodged, Zemaria followed up with mud typhoon. Zaku was caught in the typhoon. He tried to regain his ground again.

With quick thinking, Zemaria bound him up with her vines. The thorns pierced his body sending her poison through his blood stream. She made one quick move straight for him. Her claws came out. The moment she was in front of him she violently shoved her claws into his chest.

"This is for attacking my friends," she told him and ripped his still beating heart straight out of his chest.

She stood there, heart in the palm of his hand and squeezed it slowly. She watched as his eyes rolled behind his head and he fell to his knees. His body spewed blood all over. She had clearly won the match. Before leaving the floor, she tossed the bloody heart at his lifeless body. Zemaria made a second trip to the bathroom.

This time Sakura had entered the bathroom. She was terrified of what had just happened and was also concerned about her friend and comrade. Nervous, she approached Zemaria who was washing the blood from her claws and hands.

"Zemaria? What happened during that battle? Why did you rip his heart out?" She was full of so many questions.

"I did it because he hurt you and tried to kill Sasuke," she said not turning to face her.

Sakura was in tears. She had already witnessed Sasuke going on a mad rampage when he pulled the guy's arms out of their sockets. Now Zemaria had ripped his heart out. What was happening to the friends she cared about?

Before Zemaria had left the building, Naruto had approached her. It was probably about her match with Zaku like Sakura had confronted her about. The last thing she needed was Naruto trying to get on her case about ripping someone's heart out.

"Have you come to show concern about my match with Zaku too?" She asked him right away.

"Actually I have a request. You're up against Neji for the last Exam. I need you to promise me you won't kill him like you did that scum Zaku," Naruto told her.

She smiled, "Why? Do you want to fight him yourself if he wins?"

Naruto smiled back, "Something like that. He hurt Hinata. His battle with her almost killed her! I wouldn't mind seeing him getting his butt kicked if I'm not fighting him but I don't want to see him get killed."

"Alright Naruto, for you I promise you I will not kill Neji during my battle. You can count on me to keep that promise," she said to him.

After Naruto left, Kakashi approached her. He had come back right before her fight and was also witness to the whole thing. He also had his concerns about it. She didn't know if she could handle another person in concerns to her battle.

"Zemaria, we need to talk," he said.

"It's about the battle, isn't it?" She immediately asked.

He nodded, "Yes, it is. I want to make sure you aren't straying from a good path to follow a bad one."

She laughed lightly, "That's the problem when good breeds with evil. I'm not on a specific path at the moment. I'm more like tight roping in the middle. The question is which way am I going to fall? And when I eventually do, who will be there to catch me?"

All of the Gennin that passed were Sasuke, Naruto, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Dosu, Shikamaru, Neji, and Zemaria. They picked numbers out of a container to determine the matches for the final battles. The first rounds were as follows: Neji Vs. Zemaria, Sasuke Vs. Gaara, Kankuro Vs. Shino, and Naruto Vs Dosu.

Zemaria was against the Hyuuga. He had nearly killed Hinata. Lord Hokage informed them all that these battles would take place one month from now. They needed rest and training to learn new tricks since they already used moves their opponent would be ready for. After a lot of complaining mostly from Naruto, they were all dismissed to go home and get rest.

Orochimaru stood outside of the hotel he was staying at with Kabuto present. They were discussing taking care of Sasuke. He wanted to know if Kabuto had what it took to end Sasuke's life. Zemaria descended from the roof via her vines wrapped around her waist. She interrupted the conversation.

"Lord Orochimaru..." Kabuto started.

"It's fine Kabuto. She can be here," He told him.

Zemaria simply said what she needed to, "Father, I'm in need of someone to train me. Kakashi-Sensei is most likely going to train Sasuke and Naruto is being trained by Ebisu. Well at least I think he is."

"Awe, you don't have anyone to train you? And you came to me?" He smiled touched.

"Will you train me?" She asked him.

"Why of course my dear. Anything for my little girl," he told her.

Kabuto smirked, "Are you going soft on me my Lord?"

Orochimaru chuckled, "Kabuto, she's my daughter. I'm allowed to have a heart around her."

With that, she gave him a hug and went on her way. They started out at the training ground Kakashi had first given her team the bell test. Orochimaru wanted to see what his daughter could _really_ do. He told her not to hold back. She started out very well. Her and Orochimaru had an intense battle. She used everything she had from water dragon with no water present to fireball Jutsu.

Orochimaru got the better of her with a sneak attack from behind using a group of kunai. She couldn't dodge in time and they all landed in her back. Concerned for her safety, he gently removed them one at a time as she lie on the ground losing blood. He picked her up and carried her all the way to the hospital.

As he entered the hospital, Kakashi was there seeing Sasuke and saw him. Zemaria was on his back half-conscious. A medical Ninja asked him what happened and he told her they had been training and she got injured during the battle.

"You have guts showing yourself in the hospital," Kakashi told him.

"I'm just doing what's best for my daughter. She's injured and needs medical attention," he said.

"Kakashi-Sensei, I'm fine," she said to him and passed out.

She was looked at and taken care of. It was almost an hour before she woke up. Orochimaru was leaning against the window. The door flung open and Jiraiya entered the room. He saw Orochimaru standing in front of the window.

"What are you doing here?" He asked him.

"Jiraiya, you're back in the Village too?" He smiled.

"You didn't answer my question," Jiraiya was very serious.

He answered, "Zemaria and I were sparring a bit and she got injured during our friendly battle. I'm just here to make sure she's okay."

Zemaria looked at Jiraiya, "I didn't know you came back."

"I heard you were brought in for minor injuries and figured I'd check up on you. I didn't know Orochimaru was the one who brought you here," he told her.

A couple days later she and Orochimaru went to a spot by a river to start their training. He wanted to teach her a summoning. Zemaria already knew one Summoning Jutsu and that was summoning Sanbi, the three-tailed Turtle beast much like Naruto's Nine-tailed fox. Naruto and Zemaria didn't know it yet but they were both Jinchuuriki. That means they had the spirit of a tailed beast living inside their bodies.

While Naruto had his fox from birth, Zemaria received Sanbi at three. Orochimaru was the one who sealed him inside of her. Another thing to add to the list of bad things he had done to his own daughter. During the training, Naruto was on the other side of the river training with Jiraiya whom had returned to the Village not too long ago.

"Hey! Zemaria! Is that you!?" Naruto yelled across the way waving in their direction.

"Naruto?" She turned her head.

He ran over to her and stopped on the river. She too made her way to him. They stood there on the water a moment. Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood with them.

Jiraiya right away recognized him, "Orochimaru, you're still here?"

"I've come here to help Zemaria train for the battle ahead," he quickly replied.

Jiraiya turned his attention to Zemaria, "How are you been doing since I saw you a couple days ago?"

"How have I been doing? You abandoned me after father and mother abandoned me!" Zemaria looked at him pissed.

"Hold on a sec', you three know each other?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru and I go way back. Zemaria here is my god-daughter. I took care of her before I left the Village after Orochimaru and Tsunade her mother left her here," Jiraiya explained to him.

They chatted a bit and Naruto finally realized that she knew how to focus her chakra to walk on water. She seemed to be able to do it with great ease. He had so much trouble learning that technique. He asked her about it and she looked at him confused and just said 'how could you _not_ know how to walk on water?' The pairs went back to training.

Zemaria got the hang of the summoning so her and Orochimaru practiced dodging technique to prepare here for Neji's Gentle Fist attack. They fought using only Taijutsu. She did fairly well dodging all of his attacks. She somehow managed to activate Sanbi's two-tailed Chakra form. Orochimaru quickly used the Five Prong Seal he used on Naruto on Zemaria this time to suppress the demon.

She went unconscious and he brought her to her home placing her in her bed and tucking her in. He noticed the photo sitting next to the bed of him, her, and Tsunade. He decided to wait for her to wake up outside her room on the roof. When she woke, it was night time. She saw her window was opened and went over to it.

"Dad, what happened?" She asked him.

"You fought so much you exhausted yourself," he told her.

"Thanks for bringing me back home," she said and smiled.


	8. Chapter 8: Death for the Hokage

Chapter Eight

Death for the Hokage

The last few weeks before the Chuunin exams final battles went by quickly. Zemaria ended up in the hospital a total of five times in the process of training with her father. Finally the day came. Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen. Lord Hokage was sitting high up and next to him sat the Kazekage from the Sand Village.

Zemaria's match against Neji was up first. They stayed on the battle field while everyone else went up to the bleachers. Genma was the proctor for these matches. He said they could begin. Zemaria fell back several paces away from Neji to gather herself and get her plan in motion for attack or defense.

She was ready for his style of attacks. The first thing she did was create an army of clones. Some were regular Shadow Clones and others were Immortal Clones. She snapped her fingers and a massive amount of Kunai flew towards Neji. He used rotation to deflect them.

Immediately following the first batch of Kunai, she followed up with another. This time some of them had paper bombs while others had thin string attached. Once again Neji used rotation to deflect. His rotation however was halted because of the kunai with string attached to them. They string entangled his body making it hard for him to move.

"How clever. You used the same attack twice but switched things up the second time by adding paper bombs and string to slow me down," Neji observed her tactics.

"For the entire month, I had been training specifically for this battle. I know about your gentle fist style of attack. You focus Chakra at any point in your body and can use it to close one's Chakra points rendering their attempts to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu useless," Zemaria said.

Neji smirked, "So you did your homework. Good for you. That doesn't mean you'll win against me."

He used his ability to cut the strings binding him. He went into the eight trigram stance and attacked her.

"Eight trigram, 64 palm. Two palm! Four palm! Eight Palm! Sixteen... Palm!" He yelled as he hit each of her Chakra points.

He counted up until he hit 64 palm and slammed his two fingers straight into her chest. She dropped to her knees and coughed up a fairly good amount of blood. She was injured and weakened significantly but not finished. Shaking badly, she forced her body to stand up.

"You're lucky," he said, "with that attack you shouldn't even be breathing right now."

"You are underestimating me horribly," she told him.

She snapped her fingers and flicked her wrist. The clones she had made attacked Neji. Some of them disappeared while the immortal ones stayed. He couldn't figure it out. Why weren't they all disappearing as he attacked them back?

Neji asked her, "How are your clones still standing? Only some of them disappeared."

"That's because I use a Jutsu no one else can. It's a forbidden technique only I know called Immortal Clone Jutsu. They won't disappear until I release the Jutsu or die. In addition, they can use all of the techniques I can and don't make a move without my say," she explained.

He scoffed, "They won't attack unless you say?"

"Watch," she simply said.

She held up three fingers and put them down one at a time and then snapped her fingers. Three clones threw kunai at Neji who quickly stopped them from hitting him with his hands. One used Water Style followed by another using lightning style. Neji didn't deflect fast enough and ended up getting wet and then electrocuted from the lightning style and water conducting electricity.

Neji tried his eight trigram technique again. Zemaria dodged all of his gentle fist attacks. She retreated to catch her breath. Doing hand signs she used water style Tidal Wave Jutsu.

"No way. You shouldn't be able to use Jutsu! All of your Chakra points had been blocked!" Neji said shocked.

"You never actually blocked them. I created a barrier protecting my Chakra points using a natural poison that flows through my blood. It prevented you from even touching my Chakra points," she said proud of her plan.

Angered he asked, "Who exactly _are_ you?'

"I," she started still a bit out of breath, "am the daughter of two of the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru and Tsunade!"

"This pairing wasn't even close to being a fair fight! No Gennin can create water style Jutsu without having some type of body of water close by yet you were able to do a Tidal Wave Jutsu," Neji said.

Zemaria walked over to him but kept her distance, "Believe me, I'm playing fair right now. I also possess the ability to create, control, and manipulate vines with thorns. I'm not using them thus far into the battle. In addition to that, I have the ability to use a paralyzing Genjutsu which I am also not using. In reality, I'm being extremely nice right now."

"But why? If you can use those two aces of yours, why aren't you?" He asked.

"Because I made a promise. I promised a friend and comrade that I wouldn't kill you today. He was mad and disappointed that he wasn't the one to fight you here and he asked me to promise him I wouldn't kill you as I did Zaku one month ago. That's why," she said narrowing her eyes.

Up in the bleachers all of the Jounin were watching this intently. They were amazed at how well Zemaria was doing and taken back by her advanced abilities.

"I had no idea she could use water style without any water actually present," Asuma said, his eyes locked on Neji and Zemaria.

They continued on with the fight. Neji threw a few kunai at her. She blocked with her arms. They ruined her arm covers she had made.

Zemaria ended it finally using her vines to restrain him. The thorns to the vines this time were facing away from his body which was another thing she could do. If she didn't intend on killing someone with her thorns and poison, she could specifically face them away from the person's body. She moved at a great speed and was in front of him. Her claws were out and drenched with poison. Using both hands, she clawed Neji's chest leaving a total of eight claw marks in an X. It was over. She won the first battle.

Genma called it. The medical Ninja quickly ran to help Neji as Zemaria released the vines from his body. She removed a syringe with a black liquid in it from her back pouch. As she started to walk toward him, Genma stopped her.

"He's unable to fight, leave him be," he told her.

"I can't. If I do, he'll die. The poison I injected into his body will kill him within ten minutes unless I give him the antidote only I possess," she said.

He reluctantly let her continue toward Neji. He was on the stretcher barely conscious. She gave him the antidote and something more. Placing a hand over his wounds on his chest, she healed them. Zemaria was also keen in Medical Ninjutsu which she taught herself.

"You know medical Ninjutsu too?" He asked weakly.

"Ssh. I'm not a person driven by murder and hate. The least I can do is heal you myself as much as I can," she said.

The ninja took Neji to the infirmary. One of Zemaria's vines came out of the wall, wrapped around her, and bought her up to the bleachers near the Sand Ninja. Kankuro had tried during the preliminary rounds to cozy up to her after her battle but it hadn't worked out very well. He decided to try again.

"Hey, I thought your arms were injured from those kunai. They look healed already," he noticed.

"That's none of your business," she rotated her arm covers so the rips were facing away from him.

Sasuke still wasn't present. The Kazekage insisted on adding an extension before disqualifying him and to move on to the next match. Genma asked Kankuro and Shino to come down as Dosu wasn't there either. Kankuro forfeited giving Shino the win. Naruto won his match automatically since Dosu wasn't there. In fact, he wasn't living anymore. Gaara had taken care of that soon after the preliminary rounds.

The match that was left besides Sasuke and Gaara was Shikamaru and Temari. Shikamaru refused to go down. Naruto helped with that with a simple push over the railing. Temari glided down on her giant fan. The crowd booed and threw things at Shikamaru for being so lazy. He stared at the clouds and wondered why he couldn't just be a normal kid and grow up to one day have a nice family and not be a Shinobi. It was way too much work for him.

"Man, of all things I have to fight a girl... again," he complained.

Temari made fun of him for his laziness and decided to attack first. The match was slow starting but nonetheless was very entertaining and kept everyone on their toes. Shikamaru was always ten moves ahead of Temari and got the best of her. He ended the match after catching her in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. He used the holes left by Zemaria's vines in order to trap Temari.

Just when everyone thought he would win the match, he gave up. The crowd and Temari were shocked. Genma called it. Temari was the winner. Shikamaru released the Jutsu because his Chakra was running low. Zemaria jumped over the railing and smacked him right across the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" She yelled.

"Ow! What was _that_ for!?" He yelled back.

She scolded him, "You ass monger! I wanted to fight you myself! Sure you may be the laziest person in the entire Village but you're super tactical and- and-"

"And what?" He asked making a pouting face.

"...I wanted to end up fighting you..." she said in a small voice looking at the ground.

He smiled and gave her a hug. She blushed. They went back up to the bleachers together. Genma was about to disqualify Sasuke when he and Kakashi made an overly dramatic entrance. Zemaria was back at her spot near Kankuro while Shikamaru sat on the steps going up to the infirmary with Naruto.

"Sorry we're late. We're still in the exams right?" Kakashi said.

Genma looked at his watch, "You made it with one second to spare."

Kakashi closed his eye and smiled, "Good to hear."

He disappeared up to the bleachers. Gaara came down and the match began. Zemaria couldn't help but feel like the Kazekage was really Orochimaru. What was he up to? The battle didn't last too long before Orochimaru put his plan into action. Kabuto put all of the people in the bleachers to sleep using a Genjutsu. Sakura, Kakashi, and Gai released the Jutsu. He was there with Lee who was recovering from his match with Gaara the month before. He had severely damaged his leg and arm.

Naruto and Shikamaru had tried to warn Kakashi that Gaara wasn't fighting to become a Chuunin but to have intent to kill Sasuke for sheer pleasure. The two of them were also knocked out by the Jutsu. There was an explosion where the Hokage was. Zemaria without hesitation had a vine wrap around her and slingshot her across to the building's roof the Hokage and Kazekage were now standing on.

Four Sound Ninja put up a barrier around them. A few Anbu hurried to Lord Hokage but got there after the barrier was placed. The Ninja setup a barrier on the inside protecting them from the Hokage and attempts to break the barrier from the inside.

"Zemaria, please tell me you are not involved in this and that you are here to help me defeat Orochimaru," he said to her.

"Lord Hokage, I will tell you what I told Kakashi after his talk with me. I walk no path of good or evil. Instead, I walk the line between the two. I will neither protect you or father nor will I allow one of you to die here," she explained.

Orochimaru removed his false face, "Zemaria I didn't think you'd be quick enough to come over here."

"So you've come to kill me have you, Orochimaru?" Sarutobi asked him.

Orochimaru laughed lightly. That was his intentions of course. He removed the Kunai from Sarutobi's throat. They revealed their battle clothes. Zemaria took Orochimaru's side but not before creating an immortal clone and sending it to Lord Hokage's side. She told him not to worry that the clone was there so she could protect them both at the same time.

Sarutobi nodded and Orochimaru did hand signs before using his reanimation Jutsu. He summoned the first, the second, and Sarutobi stopped the third using shuriken. They were coffins. As they opened two bodies walked out. One was the First Lord Hokage and the second was the Second Lord Hokage. Both had been dead a very long time.

Not only did the Hokage have to battle Orochimaru and his daughter but now he had to worry about the First and Second Hokage being reanimated. Orochimaru placed kunai with sutras attached to them inside of their heads. This was bad. The Hokage battle royal began. While the two undead Hokage attacked Sarutobi, Zemaria was instructed to get involved.

She used water style tidal wave followed by electric current to shock the Third. All the Anbu could do was watch. There was no way in or out of the barrier. Sarutobi did what he could to fend off the two former Hokage. In the bleachers, Kakashi and Gai were fighting enemy Ninja. Sakura woke Naruto and Shikamaru up at Kakashi's orders. They along with Pakkun Kakashi's dog he summoned were ordered to go after Sasuke who had left to chase after Gaara.

Gaara was taken away by his brother and sister. Kankuro and Temari were his siblings. They all had their encounters and battles. The Third was struggling with his. Zemaria was fighting the Hokage while her clone was protecting him from the two former Hokage and Orochimaru.

The First had created a huge tree with multiple trunks. Sarutobi was weak but was able to summon Enma his animal summoning. Enma was a monkey and also a very long staff. He created a sort of protection cage around the Hokage to prevent further damage before transforming into his monkey self. He scolded the old man for not getting rid of Orochimaru years ago when he caught him performing experiments.

"Enma, let's finish this now!" He said to him.

Enma nodded, "This time kill him so he can't hurt anyone ever again."

Zemaria released the clone. For this battle, she chose to help her father. She was serious now. They engaged in battle. She didn't let either of them near Orochimaru.

"Zemaria! Stop! Stop before you get killed!" Orochimaru pleaded with her.

She ignored him and imprisoned him putting up four walls made from her vines and a barrier under and over him so he couldn't get out. Her attention went back to the Hokage. He didn't go easy on her. A little bit later, she was bleeding and badly injured. She also hadn't fully recovered from her match with Neji.

Sarutobi was panting, "You are a bigger threat to this Village than your own father! Because of that, I will stop you!"

He prepared himself to use the same Jutsu the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit inside of Naruto, Reaper Death Seal. Zemaria unsteadily brought herself to her feet. She ran straight towards him. Her hand had electricity searing through it. She planned on using Lightning Palm on him.

Too late. Sarutobi grabbed a hold of her at the shoulders. He had used the Jutsu through two clones to get rid of the First and Second Hokage. Orochimaru needed to do something before he killed his daughter. He removed his Grass Blade from his mouth and directed it with his hand in the direction of Sarutobi.

"Just because things are ending this way, does not mean I've chosen the wrong path. I'll always care about this Village and the people in it. That also included you," she said losing strength.

Sarutobi activated the Reaper Death Seal. Zemaria's soul started to be pulled out of her body. She fought back as much as she could to keep her soul. He too was almost out of Chakra. Orochimaru's sword struck Sarutobi entering from his back. Enma who was so badly injured he couldn't stand, quickly grabbed the sword.

It was still able to pierce the Hokage. The struggle between him and Zemaria lasted almost five minutes before Sarutobi grew too weak to take her whole soul. The Reaper was hungry for a soul.

"Give it up. You don't have nearly enough energy or Chakra to take my entire soul," Zemaria told him.

He winced from the added pain of the sword, "You're right, but I'm not giving up yet. If I can't take you with me then I'll take your arms instead!"

The Reaper cut her soul arms from her body. "The seal is set!" were the Hokage's last words. The same seal on Naruto's stomach appeared on his stomach as he fell to the ground. Zemaria's arm from the shoulders down to her fingers turned a pale dark purple. She was unable to move them anymore.

"Zemaria!" Orochimaru yelled in fear for his daughter's safety.

The thorn walls around him came down. Zemaria stood in absolute shock and disbelief. She really couldn't use her arms anymore. Orochimaru ordered his Ninja to release the barrier. He rushed over to his daughter and was about to embrace her to bring her with him but she had her vines protect her.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted at him.

Across the way in the bleachers Kakashi and Gai noticed the barrier had been removed. Nearly all of the enemies they had fought were down for the count. A vine ascended from the exam battle ground, wrapped around Zemaria's waist, and carried her halfway across the field before tossing her the rest of the way. She landed in front of Kakashi and Gai.

Kakashi looked shocked, "Zemaria? What happened over there?"

Gai quickly asked, "What happened to Lord Hokage?"

She didn't answer only ran off and jumped out through the hole made from the enemies. She kept running through the forest towards the border. Kakashi left to find available Anbu. Gai saw Orochimaru high-tail it out of there with his four Ninja.


	9. Chapter 9: Zemaria's Sealed Fate

Chapter Nine

Zemaria's Sealed Fate

A team of Anbu were sent out after Zemaria upon Kakashi's discovery of the lifeless Hokage. It was assumed that Zemaria, not Orochimaru was responsible for his death. Of course that wasn't true. Orochimaru made it quicker but the Reaper Jutsu is what really killed him. Zemaria got pretty far into the forest before the Anbu caught up to her.

"Zemaria, you are under arrest for the murder of the Third Lord Hokage! Surrender now or we'll have to use force!" One told her.

She stopped dead in her tracks. There was no way she could take on a whole team of Anbu with the state she was in. The only thing she could really use was her vines. She entangled them in the vines, thorns out. She didn't want to kill them, just render them useless.

With the Anbu taken care of, she ran off again. She didn't get very far before Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza found her. These three were the original Ino, Shika, Chou team; Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji's fathers. Shikaku caught her in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. She couldn't move of her own free will.

"I may not be able to use my hands but that doesn't mean I can't use certain Jutsu. Forbidden Art: Shadow Cutter Jutsu!" She said.

Shikaku's shadow was cut freeing her from his Jutsu. Chouza used partial expansion Jutsu of his arm and hand to try and stop her. She dodge it. As she dodged his attack, Inoichi caught her in thin wire infused with Chakra. The wire prevented her from releasing her Chakra for any reason.

She was bound at the waist and feet unable to move. They placed her in a movable cage and brought her back into the Village. By now, the enemy was long gone and the Villagers were coming back out in the open from their safe housing. Zemaria was brought in to the interrogation room. She was tied to a chair and Ibiki entered the room.

"How quaint. Instead of capturing Orochimaru, we captured his mirror image," he stared her in the eyes.

She scoffed at him, "I know your game. You're specialty is psychological torture. It won't work on me. I'll never tell you anything about father or what his plans were."

One Anbu came closer to her. She used her paralyzing Genjutsu on him. Ibiki instructed another Anbu to blindfold her and place a seal over her eyes.

Ibiki attempted to use his technique on her anyway hoping to at least weaken her psyche. It wasn't working. No matter how tight the hold on her body in his little world of torture, she wasn't breaking. She wasn't even cringing with pain. He had no choice but to give her to those trained in physical torture.

She was beaten and prodded at but nothing was working. She was a tough person to crack. The last resort was Inoichi. He was brought in to access the information stored in her mind. That was his specialty for his clan. Zemaria quickly mentally deleted anything to do with Orochimaru and his plans with the Village. Then she setup a barrier to keep him and everyone else out.

Inoichi did was he did best and tried to enter into her subconscious to get to her mind for the information. The barrier prevented him from going very deep. After several hours of attempts to get information out of her, Inoichi released his Jutsu on her.

Shikaku came in, "Anything yet?"

Inoichi shook his head, "Not a single thing."

"Dad! I have an idea!" Shikamaru rushed in.

"Shikamaru, she's a dangerous person. I don't think it's a good idea to let you near her," he said protectively.

"Dad, trust me. She has a crush on me. I know I can get through to her. Besides..." he paused and then murmured, "I like her too."

The room fell silent. Shikamaru admitted to liking Zemaria even after everything that happened. His dad let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright son, you have one chance. If she tries to hurt you, Inoichi and I _will_ step in to stop her," he warned.

Shikamaru nodded. They let her out of the contraption she was in. Shikamaru insisted on removing the wire from her. Reluctantly they did. The seal over her eyes was removed with the blindfold. Everyone was told to leave. He wanted them to be alone.

Zemaria stared at him, "Shikamaru..."

"I know you don't want to put your father in danger, but if you don't tell us _something_ you'll end up in prison. They'll most likely have you bound and your eyes sealed again. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life like that?"

"Why are you doing this?" She asked unconvinced he cared.

"Why?" He said.

Shikamaru went closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, a hand at the side of her chin/throat, and he kissed her. It wasn't just a kiss either. This kiss lasted several long seconds. It activated a world of passion and emotion and then it ended as suddenly as it began. Worried he was trying to trick her, Zemaria's vines violently shoved him away.

He flew to the other side of the room and slammed into the wall. Shikaku of course was trying to eavesdrop and heard his son hitting the wall followed by Zemaria yelling at him. He wanted to rush in there to protect him but Inoichi stopped him.

"NO! You're trying to use my emotions to get information out of me! I won't let you!" She screamed at him.

Shikamaru gathered himself, "That's not it! I know you like me. I like you too... a lot actually."

She wasn't convinced, "Lies! You're lying! If you like me so much why did you wait until _now_ to tell me!?"

"I know the position you're in. Please trust me!" He insisted.

She started to calm down. He walked back over to her and embraced her. Whispering comforting words in her ear, he slowly backed her against a table. He had her lay back. They stared deep into each other's eyes before they kissed once more.

Shikaku was getting antsy with all of the silence. Neji happened to be walking past. Shikaku asked him to use Byakugan to see what was going on in there. He activated it. Shikamaru... was now having sex with Zemaria.

Neji quickly deactivated his Byakugan in horror, "Oh dear god!"

Inoichi and Shikaku asked in unison, "What?"

"Your son isn't a virgin anymore..." he said scarred for life.

"Why that sly little-" Shikaku was about to kick the door down.

Inoichi stopped him. All they could do was wait and apparently listen. Poor Shikaku nearly had a heart attack from Shikamaru's reckless actions. When it was over, Zemaria seemed calmer and more under control. They kissed one more time.

"All right," she cleared her throat, "Father didn't tell me his plans in detail. He only told me something when he needed me. From what I know, he wanted to test Kabuto by instructing him to kill Sasuke which he wasn't able to do. He wanted the Village in ruins and the Hokage dead. I'm still not sure what he was going to use that Sand Ninja Gaara for though."

"Is that everything you know?" He asked her.

She nodded, "Yes, that's everything."

Shikamaru hugged her. Shikaku and Inoichi came back in. They wanted to hold her in prison for aiding her father. Shikamaru insisted his father let her stay with them. She also mentioned that it was the Hokage's Jutsu that killed him and not her or her father's sword. Knowing he wasn't going to win, Shikaku agreed to let her stay with them. Shikaku also smacked him upside the head.

"Geez! What was _that_ for!?" He said rubbing his head.

"You're too young for that," he simply told him.

"Eh- how did you-" he started.

Neji glared at him still scarred, "Don't ask!"

He walked away. Shikamaru wasn't sure what had happened but they all went home. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all in the hospital. Sakura had fallen victim to Gaara in the forest. Sasuke failed to save her. Naruto was the one who had defeated him. After a few days of healing they were all back to normal.

It was late at night. Shikamaru and Zemaria were at it again. They fell asleep next to each other. Orochimaru crept through the Village and found her. He opened the window and stole her out of the bed. She woke up.

"Shikamaru!" She yelled as he whisked her away from the house.

Shikamaru woke up, "Zemaria!" He ran over to the window.

Shikaku heard all the ruckus and came into the room, "Shikamaru, what's going on?"

"Dad! Zemaria's been kidnapped!" He frantically said.

"What?" He asked shocked.

While Zemaria was being kidnapped, Jiraiya had officially agreed to keep training Naruto and took him along on his journey to find Tsunade to bring her back to the Village. She was to be the next Hokage. They also wanted to have her fix up Lee who was still suffering from Gaara's Sand Coffin attack during the Chuunin exams.

Lee was told he would never be able to be a Ninja again. The damage was far too great. Naruto was determined on finding Tsunade and more determined to learn another new technique. They searched and searched. Along their journey, they asked everyone if they had seen her showing them a photo.

While they were off doing _that_, Orochimaru had Zemaria restrained on a hospital table. Only her ankles and waist were in restraints because she couldn't move her arms. Kabuto was standing on one side while Orochimaru stood on the other.

"Father, why have you taken me?" She asked pissed.

"My dear child, I took you so I could help you," he told her.

"Well I don't _need_ your help!" She yelled at him.

Angered, he ordered Kabuto to leave and he followed behind him leaving her alone. Days passed before she was let out of her restraints. He obviously had a plan of some kind otherwise he'd have left her there even longer. She was right, Orochimaru planned on finding Tsunade same as Jiraiya and Naruto.

She asked him surprised, "You're going to look for Mother? Why? What could _she_ do?"

He answered, "You know your mother is a highly skilled Medical Ninja. If there's anyone that can fix your arms, it would be her."

They ended up in the same Village as Jiraiya and Naruto. Ironically, Tsunade and her assistant Shizune were also there. Orochimaru found her first. They stood across from each other. Tsunade was _not_ happy to see him. Kabuto stood on one side of him as Zemaria reluctantly stood on the other side. She had a shock band around her waist.

"Zemaria, it's been ages since I last saw you. You've grown so much. Unfortunately you look exactly like your father. Don't tell me you threw in your lot with him," she said highly concerned.

"Mother, it's good to see you. Trust me, if it were up to me I wouldn't be standing on his side right now," she told her.

"We've come to make a bargain with you," he said getting to business.

Zemaria narrowed her eyes, "_YOU_ came to bargain with her and _dragged_ me into it."

Her vines began to wrap around him thorns facing inward. Right before they tightened around him, he told Kabuto so press the button. The button was for the shock band. He pressed it and sent one thousand volts of electricity surging through her body. He had placed the band around her because she tried to get away from him and also tried to attack him.

Zemaria screamed in pain and dropped to her knees panting. Shizune stood in shock. Should she try to help her? She only acted upon something when Tsunade said for her to. Tsunade clenched her hand into a fist in anger.

"Orochimaru, how could you do that to our daughter!?"

Shizune widened her eyes, "What!? She's really your daughter? And to Orochimaru?"

"Pay attention Shizune!" She yelled.

Orochimaru chuckled lightly, "Oh Tsunade, you're temper is as hot as ever I see. Zemaria tried attacking me in order to make an escape once so I took the necessary measures to ensure she wouldn't try it again."

"You're as cruel as ever is what you are. I have no intentions on agreeing to any bargains of yours!" She made it clear to him where she stood.

After a long heated conversation between them, they parted ways. His bargain was her help in restoring Zemaria's arms in exchange for him staying away from the Leaf and bringing Tsunade's little brother and lover back to life. It was a very tempting thought. He gave her one week to think about it.

Jiraiya was in the process of teaching Naruto the Rasengan technique. They finally found Tsunade as they entered a restaurant with a bar. Sitting down at their table, they got reacquainted with each other. Right off the bat Naruto and Tsunade barely got along. Jiraiya explained how the Elders asked for her to come to the Village and assume the duty of Hokage.

She wanted nothing to do with the Leaf. By the week's end, she started to change her mind. She still met up with Orochimaru but it didn't mean she would give into his offer. A battle ensued between her and Orochimaru, Kabuto, and unwillingly Zemaria. Shizune figured out what was going on and rushed to inform Jiraiya. They along with Naruto found where they were fighting.

"Orochimaru!" Jiraiya yelled.

"Well look at this, all the Sannin together again. It's been so long since we were all in the same place like this," he said.

Naruto saw Zemaria on Orochimaru's side, "Zemaria? Are you helping that slimy snake?"

Zemaria had a sour look on her face, "As much as I _don't_ appreciate you bad mouthing my father, I don't really have a choice in whether I'm helping him or not."

A battle for the ages began. The three great Legendary Sannin; Orochimaru against Tsunade and Jiraiya. Kabuto was fighting Shizune. Two Medical Ninja against one another. Naruto and Zemaria were stuck fighting each other. By now Naruto was already able to use Rasengan.

Their battle was very intense. Naruto didn't want to hurt Zemaria and Zemaria didn't want to hurt Naruto. The only difference was Zemaria had no other choice. It was either fight him or get forced shock therapy from Kabuto. Naruto used his Shadow clones. Zemaria took them out in one fell swoop of her vines.

His final attack was his Rasengan. He got her square in the chest. She went flying several feet spinning around before landing on the ground. Unable to move, she coughed up blood and stared up at Naruto as he approached her.

"Naruto... I'm sorry. Please do me one favor," she said.

"This isn't some trick is it?" He asked cautiously.

She shook her head, "No, it's not. I need you to give something to Shikamaru for me."

A vine whipped around and reached into her pouch. It removed a folded piece of paper. The vine dangled in front of Naruto. He took the paper from it.

"Please give that to him for me," she said again.

He nodded, "Okay then. I promise this will get to Shikamaru."

She smiled, "Thank you so much Naruto. Hopefully I'll get back to the Village soon."

Orochimaru was defeated along with Kabuto. Manda, Orochimaru's giant snake he summoned disappeared. Jiraiya had summoned Gama Bunta a giant toad and Tsunade summoned her giant slug Katsuyu. Defeated and weak, he called Kabuto to his side. Using his long snake tongue, he picked Zemaria up and the three of them disappeared into to the ground.

Jiraiya and Naruto returned to the Leaf Village with Tsunade. Sasuke and Kakashi were suffering from the same thing after their separate encounters with Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. They had fallen victim to his Genjutsu and were completely unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10: A New Hokage

Chapter Ten

A New Hokage

Tsunade woke Kakashi up using Medical Ninjutsu. Naruto brought her to Sasuke's room for her to do the same. After seeing both of them Gai insisted on her taking a look at Lee. She examined him and realized there was little to no chance of any type of hope for fixing him.

"He has too many bone fragments embedded into his spine. Operating would be the most dangerous option for him. Give up on being a Shinobi. Find another path," Tsunade told them.

Lee didn't want to listen. He was determined on being a Ninja still. Tsunade appointed Shikamaru as Chuunin upon Sarutobi's last request before his death. Sasuke was more distracted than usual. After many more missions for Squad Seven, he was fed up with Naruto getting stronger and stronger when he couldn't even touch his own brother to kill him still. He was still too weak.

After two weeks, Sasuke found Naruto and challenged him to a fight. Naruto was excited because he didn't get to fight him during the Chuunin Exams. They met in an open area. Sakura caught wind of their plan to fight. She alerted Kakashi in case someone were to get seriously injured.

They started their fight. Sasuke dodged Naruto's attacks and Naruto dodged Sasuke's. They were almost equally matched until they grew so angry that Sasuke started Chidori while Naruto planned on using Rasengan. While in mid-air ready to use their most recently learned techniques, Kakashi stepped in. He grabbed either of them by the wrists, spun around, and flung them away from each other.

They both went straight into a tree. Sasuke's Chidori made a deep mark in it. Naruto's Rasengan created a huge crater in the tree he hit. Sakura watched in horror that two friends were really fighting and going to kill each other.

"Sasuke, I didn't teach you Chidori to use it on your comrades let alone your friend. The size you were planning on using didn't look like it was for a friendly spar," Kakashi warned.

Sakura wept, "Naruto, were you really planning on killing Sasuke? You two are friends. Why? Why would the two of you do this!?"

Naruto straightened himself up, "This didn't concern you Sakura. You should have just stayed out of it."

Jiraiya was close by. Sasuke walked off in one direction as Naruto walked off in the opposite direction. Kakashi went to talk to Jiraiya.

"You taught Naruto the Rasengan. That wasn't a very wise move you know. They could have killed each other," he said.

Jiraiya pointed out, "You're one to talk. Teaching Sasuke Chidori? What were you thinking Kakashi?"

"They're just like Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama," Kakashi sighed.

"Leader of the Uchiha and the first Hokage of the Village. It makes sense if you think about it. Naruto _is_ the son of the Fourth Hokage and Sasuke will always be an Uchiha," Jiraiya stated.

Sakura sulked off worried about her two friends. Naruto ended up sulking all the way to Shikamaru's house. He had forgotten all about Zemaria's letter after his return to the Village. Two weeks had passed since then.

Shikaku answered the door, "Naruto, are you here to see Shikamaru?"

Naruto nodded, "I have something for him. It's a bit late but I remembered it."

Shikaku let him in and went to fetch Shikamaru. He was staring out his bedroom window moping about missing Zemaria. Shikaku knocked on the door first before entering. Shikamaru was totally oblivious to his dad in the room.

"Hey, Shikamaru? Naruto is here to see you. He said he has something for you," he told him.

Shikamaru secretly wiped away his tears and straightened himself. He and his dad went downstairs. Naruto was sitting patiently in the living room which was strange even for him. He wasn't known for being a patient person.

"My dad said you have something for me," Shikamaru said.

Naruto stood up and removed the paper from his pocket, "Yeah. This is from Zemaria. When pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade fought Orochimaru, Zemaria was ordered to fight me and at the end of the battle she gave me this. I promised her I'd deliver it to you. Unfortunately I got so caught up missions I forgot about it until now."

Shikamaru took the piece of paper and unfolded it reading aloud, "Dearest Shikamaru, I wanted to let you know I'm okay. Father though he means well, is holding me at the Sound Village. I've already tried to fight him to escape but he restrained me and placed a shock band around my waist. I promise I will find a way back to you. I love you with all my heart, Zemaria."

Naruto teased him, "Ooh! Shikamaru's got a girlfriend!"

Shikamaru's eye twitched and he clocked Naruto on the head. Naruto cried in pain like Naruto does. Shikaku just snickered and smiled. He suddenly had an idea. Leaving the house, he made his way to the Hokage's building and knocked on Tsunade's door.

"Come in," she said.

"Lady Tsunade, I'd like to make a request," he told her.

She looked at him curiously, "Oh? What request would _that_ be?"

"The rescue of Zemaria. I know she was heavily involved with Orochimaru's plans of taking down the Village and the murder of the Third Hokage. However, Shikamaru has been moping about the house for weeks now since she was taken by Orochimaru. He's somehow fallen in love with her. I believe it would be best if there was a mission to locate and retrieve her. Shikamaru in the lead," he explained.

Tsunade pondered a moment, "I see. Who do you think would be on the squad under Shikamaru?"

Shikaku thought a second, "Well, her team mates are Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. I would think they'd be best to send."

"Sasuke and Naruto had a falling out just this afternoon. It may not be best to send them both. Sasuke has Orochimaru's curse mark so sending him would be like handing him to Orochimaru on a silver platter. I'm thinking Kiba, Naruto, and Neji with Shikamaru leading," she said.

Shikaku seemed confused, "Why Neji and Kiba with Naruto?"

Tsunade answered, "Kiba and Akamaru have the best sense of smell. If anyone can pick up Zemaria or Orochimaru's scents it would be them. And Neji has his Byakugan which would come in handy if they need to check for enemies as they enter wherever Zemaria is being kept."

Soon it was settled. Tsunade sent Naruto, Kiba, and Neji to find Zemaria with Shikamaru leading them. It was time to test Shikamaru's abilities as a Chuunin. Shikamaru explained everything to Neji and Kiba on their way. Naruto was mostly in the loop. He had an advantage that neither Neji nor Kiba had though, he spoke to Zemaria in person himself and fought her.

"Naruto, you saw Orochimaru's abilities when Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya were fighting him. Was there anything specific you noticed about his fighting style?" Neji asked him.

"Mm, not that I could tell. I was a little distracted having to fight Zemaria and all. He _did_ end up fighting on a huge snake though," he told him.

Shikamaru sudden felt his hand ball up into a fist. He hated knowing that Naruto nearly killed Zemaria during their battle. Regardless of her fighting of her own free will or not, the least Naruto could have done was take it easy on her. Shikamaru knew for a fact that Zemaria would have never tried to kill Naruto.

Back in the Sound Village, Zemaria was locked in a dungeon. There was a shackle around her waist, one around her neck, and one on each ankle. She was on her knees. The room was pitch black. After what felt like an eternity of dead silence, the door creaked open.

"Kabuto, was this really necessary? I asked you to escort her to a comfortable room, not a dungeon and chaining her up," Orochimaru scolded him.

"Forgive me my Lord. She had tried to attack me in the corridors on our way to the room. I feared she would go after you next," he apologized.

"No matter how pissed she is with me, she'd never kill me," he insisted.

Kabuto unshackled her. Orochimaru stayed with them this time around. They escorted her to a more comfortable room. It took almost a week for Shikamaru and his team to reach the Sound Village. They had asked a great number of people if they knew where it was. After finally getting an answer from someone that knew, they found it.

Orochimaru sent Kabuto to fetch Zemaria from her room. He wished to speak to her. Shikamaru and the others were outside cautiously keeping an eye out for enemies. The Village was hidden underground which made sense since Orochimaru is a snake person. Neji used his Byakugan to try and locate Zemaria.

Kabuto and Zemaria met up with Orochimaru is one of the corridors. They walked a bit together. Out of nowhere, Naruto came busting through the wall. He stood in front of Orochimaru. They looked surprised to see him there.

"Don't worry Zemaria, we're here to take you back!" Naruto announced smiling.

Shikamaru used Shadow Possession on Orochimaru and Kabuto as Naruto was distracting them. Kiba and Akamaru along with Neji came from around the corner.

"Kiba? Neji? I'd have thought that if anyone was going to come to _me_ it'd be my own team. Is Kakashi-Sensei leading you guys?" She asked confused.

Shikamaru finally showed himself, "Nope. Even better."

Zemaria's eyes widened and she gasped, "Shikkie-Chan!?"

She ran over to him no longer bound by the retched Shock Band. Unprepared, she tackled him in a hug and almost made him lose his balance. Orochimaru simple stood there not saying a word. The Shadow Possession was released as Shikamaru embraced Zemaria. Kabuto tried to attack when Orochimaru stopped him. I should mention that since Zemaria had no use of her arms, it was her vines that were wrapped around Shikamaru thorns out.

"Kabuto, leave them be," he ordered him.

Confused, he replied, "Yes... Lord Orochimaru."

To Shikamaru he asked, "What do you find so special about my daughter that you would barge in here just to get her back?"

He answered, "Unlike you she shows compassion and the ability to care about other people before thinking about herself. She can be stubborn and hard headed and even sometimes a bit scary like her mother, but no matter what... she's still a good person." He added in a mumble, "Even if she looks like you instead of her mother..."

Zemaria cracked him over the head using a vine with a piece of the wall Naruto broke, "I heard that."

"See what I mean?" He said with a 'doom' face.

Orochimaru took a deep breath and let out a sigh. He turned away from them and walked off.

"You just got lucky. He's letting you go without trying to stop you," Kabuto said before joining Orochimaru's side.

They all returned to the Leaf. Reporting to Tsunade, she marked the mission a success. She was concerned that Orochimaru had let them leave with Zemaria so easily though. Was he up to something again?

"Father was probably just disappointed that I really hadn't turned out like him," Zemaria shrugged or rather attempted to.

"In any case, it's good to have you back in the Village. Everyone but Shikamaru and Zemaria are dismissed from my office," she said.

Zemaria shifted her eyes curiously, "Is there something wrong Mother?"

"No. Everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you that upon the recommendation of all the Jounin in the Village that were witness to your battle against Neji during the Chuunin exams, I am here by appointing you to the level of Chuunin. I know you have the current problem of not having use of your arms but according to Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza you were still capable of using Jutsu," she explained.

Zemaria nodded, "That's right. I can still use certain Jutsu that I don't need to use hand signs for. The vines that I use are separate from my actual Chakra network but is considered a Kekkei Genkai."

Tsunade turned attention to Shikamaru, "You I'd like to speak to in private. Zemaria you're dismissed."

Zemaria kissed Shikamaru on the cheek before she turned and left the room. Shikamaru looked horribly nervous. Was it _that_ obvious he and Zemaria were a thing? What if Tsunade didn't approve of it?

"I am _so_ dead right now!" Shikamaru thought.

"Make sure you take the best of care of my daughter. I heard from a little scarred birdie that you deflowered her not too long ago," she had a fire in her eyes.

Shikamaru flinched in fear and freaked out, "I'm so sorry Lady Tsunade! Please don't kill me!"

He quickly backed away from her desk. She let out a light laugh. It amused her to think that Shikamaru was so afraid of her. She reassured him that she wasn't going to kill him.

"I just want to make sure she's in good hands and won't get hurt falling in love," she smiled.

Shikamaru's heart nearly stopped as he let out a sigh of relief, "You have nothing to worry about. I would never hurt her."


	11. Chapter 11: Blossoming Romance

Chapter Eleven

Blossoming Romance

A couple of days later, Shikamaru and Zemaria came downstairs together for breakfast. Shikamaru's parents were already sitting at the table in the kitchen. His mom smiled at him and his dad gave him a blank stare.

"...What's with the smiling and blank stare from you two?" He asked.

His mom giggled, "It's just so wonderful that you lovebirds are back together again. I was afraid my little boy would sulk about in his room forever,"

Zemaria snickered, "You were really sulking in your room while I was gone?"

"Hey! Don't laugh at me! I missed you... a lot," he confessed.

"There's no shame in hiding your sadness being separated from the person you care about the most. But if I find out you two are doing the nasty again..." he said and trailed off.

Zemaria pouted, "How did he know?"

"A little scarred birdie..." Shikamaru said under his breath.

They sat down at the table and had some breakfast. When Zemaria was finished she pardoned herself and told Shikamaru she had to do some research on how to get the use of her arms back so she'd be out all day. Shikaku ended up getting sent off on a mission.

The day passed by slowly. Zemaria looked through book after book; scroll after scroll and couldn't find anything on how to release the Hokage's Jutsu. Soon the sun had set and it was getting late. She looked through one more scroll and finally found something. Jotting down what to do, she put everything away and went home.

Shikamaru stayed up all night waiting for her return. She walked into the bedroom and went over to him. He gave her a hug and kissed her. The kiss turned into something more... again. With his arm placed around her, they fell asleep. The next morning they went down for breakfast.

"Good morning," Zemaria said cheerfully.

Shikaku just stared at them. He knew about last night...

"Uh- I figured out how to get my arms back," she said smiling nervously.

Shikaku asked, "So how are you going to do that?"

"Well," she started, "I'm not sure I really want to say. It's kinda... illegal?"

"What do you mean 'kinda illegal'?" Shikamaru asked her.

She said, "I mean it involves having to do a seal release Jutsu. The seal being the one on the Third's body. That means he'd have to be exhumed."

"Why not go to Lady Tsunade and ask her for permission to do that then?" Shikaku asked.

"Because I _know_ my mother. Even though she made me a Chuunin, she fears that I'll turn into my father if I have the ability to use my arms again. There's no _way_ she'd give me permission to dig up the Hokage to release the Seal on his body," she insisted.

Shikaku thought for a moment, "What if I went with you? Maybe I could convince her to give you that permission and have me supervise you."

Zemaria sighed, "You can try..."

After breakfast the two of them went to Tsunade. Shikaku explained the situation and Zemaria explained the solution. Together they told her the problem.

"So you see Lady Tsunade, in order for Zemaria to get her arms back Lord Third has to be exhumed," he said.

"I know you are afraid of me turning into father once my arms are restored but you don't have to worry. I may be his daughter, but I'm also yours," Zemaria tried to convince her.

She responded, "I'm sure you won't stop bugging me until I say yes. So here's the deal; Shikaku will keep an eye on you and supervise things. If for whatever reason you even think of turning your back on the Village and try to hurt anyone, you'll be detained and held in a prison cell and bound with Chakra shackles. Do you understand?"

Zemaria nodded, "Yes mother, I do."

With that, she dismissed them. They went to Sarutobi's grave. Zemaria used her vines to dig it up and removed the casket from the ground. Opening it, she formed hands with the vines and did the needed hand signs.

"Forbidden art: Reaper Death Seal Release!" She said.

The seal on his body broke. Her soul arms flew from his body and entered her own. She almost lost her balance in the process. Slowly, the color came back into both her arms. She could move them again! Oh how it felt good to be able to move her fingers. Sarutobi's soul too was released.

Zemaria smiled, "Oh that feels so much better now."

"I never asked but were you in a lot of pain from that Jutsu?" He asked curiously.

"It felt like a thousand Senbon piercing my skin at a fast rate all at once," she explained.

They replaced the casket closed up back in its resting spot and covered it back up with the soil. Zemaria was so happy to have her arms back. They went back home and the moment she saw Shikamaru, she gave him the biggest hug ever. He was taken off guard and then realized she was hugging him using her arms and not her vines. He hugged her back tightly.

"You can use your arms again," Shikamaru smiled then added, "How does it feel?" He held her hands in his.

"It feels amazing," she smiled back.

"Great, we should celebrate!" He exclaimed.

They were about to kiss when Shikaku separated them. Zemaria pouted.

"I think it's time the three of us had a little chat," he interrupted their joy.

Shikamaru pouted, "Ah man. Come on dad, seriously?"

Shikaku said firmly, "I don't want to hear any complaining. This is an important matter."

"But dad-," Shikamaru started.

"No buts," he interrupted him.

He had them sit on the couch and he sat on the coffee table. Shikamaru and Zemaria were still only twelve. What they were doing they shouldn't be at their age. Shikaku explained the concept of sex and how important it was to wait until they were older to even think about engaging in the act.

Shikamaru of course was so uninterested that he was practically falling asleep. He didn't like being lectured let alone lectured by his own father. Shikaku snapped him out of his day dreams.

"Shikamaru! Pay attention!" He scolded.

"All right, fine," he said.

"Getting involved with something like having sex should be something you think about when you're older like sixteen or seventeen not now at your age. In fact, you two shouldn't be thinking about it until marriage and ready to start a family," he told them.

Shikaku wondered how they even ended up hitting puberty. He and his wife didn't reach that point until their teens. In fact, Shikaku wasn't interested in girls until he hit fifteen. Where did he go wrong with Shikamaru he wondered.

"Dad? What's with the staring?" Shikamaru asked.

Shikaku snapped out of his thoughts, "It's nothing. Just stick with hugging and kissing and nothing else until you're older."

"Is that all you wanted to tell us?" He was getting antsy.

Shikaku nodded, "Yeah, that's it."

Shikamaru took Zemaria's hand and went up to his room with her. Shikaku had a feeling he wasn't going to listen to him. He was absolutely right. Shikamaru without hesitation passionately kissed Zemaria. As they kissed, he unzipped her shirt and slowly backed her up against the bed.

They took a moment to actually end up on the bed. Zemaria took off his shirt before kissing him again. For several moments they laid there just kissing. Zemaria wrapped her arms around him and held him close. And then Shikaku decided to break things up... again.

"Lady Tsunade needs to talk to you," he told him.

"Now!?" He asked a bit annoyed at his father's interruption.

"Yes now," he said firmly.

Shikamaru groaned unhappily and sat up. Sighing, he got off the bed and picked up his shirt putting it back on. Zemaria zipped her shirt back up before his dad could notice. Shikamaru gave her a kiss and walked out of the room. Tsunade was in her office waiting for him.

He asked her, "What's this all about?"

"You sound enthused to be here..." she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, but you had interrupted me in the middle of something," he told her not elaborating.

Tsunade glared at him, "It wouldn't have anything to do with my _daughter_ would it?"

"Uh! Um- no... nothing like that!" He quickly said as Tsunade cracked her knuckles.

"Well then, that's good. I have a mission for you. It seems that Sasuke has left the Village last night sometime. No doubt he's going in search of Orochimaru. However, we can't be certain that he's gone willingly. Orochimaru's Ninja could have taken him without his consent," she told him.

"So you want me to gather a team to bring him back? Is that what you're saying?" He asked her.

She nodded, "That's right. Since the attack on the Leaf, our number of Shinobi available has dwindled down considerably. Whatever Jounin and Chuunin that aren't on missions are here either rebuilding or are protecting the Village from any threats. I need you to gather any available Gennin you can and find Sasuke to bring him back."

"Are you sure Gennin will be the best option though?" He said unsure.

"There's no other option. And Naruto, you can stop eavesdropping and come out now!" Tsunade said and threw a large book at the door breaking it.

Naruto had been standing outside the room listening to the whole conversation. He stood there eyes wide open. She gave him a death glare and he slowly slinked into the room.

"Since you insist on eavesdropping, you will be helping Shikamaru round up the Gennin for this mission and you will be going along with him," she instructed and dismissed them.

Naruto and Shikamaru were dismissed and went around the Village rounding up any Gennin they could find. In total they gathered Neji, Kiba, and Chouji. As they were leaving, Zemaria insisted on joining them.

"Uh- no way! Zemaria, this is too dangerous!" Shikamaru was firm with her.

"Shikkie, Sasuke is my friend and comrade. I can't stay here and do nothing! I'm coming with you!" She yelled back.

They argued a bit. Shikamaru pulled the 'Kunoichi' card on her. Her eye twitched and she smacked him upside the head. The others backed off.

"Did you have to smack me like that?" He asked rubbing his head.

"That was a rotten move like that. Telling me this mission was no good for a Kunoichi. You're such an ass," she told him.

He stared at her, "Are you finished?"

There was a short pause before she smacked him again, "Now I'm done."

"She's really brutal isn't she?" Kiba observed.

"You have no idea..." Shikamaru said.

He finally let her come. Sakura in tears asked Naruto to bring Sasuke home. If there was anyone that could do it, it was him. Zemaria's eyes went wide and she suddenly ran off. Everyone was confused.

"Zemaria! Where are you going!?" Shikamaru shouted.

"Huh? Did- did I say something wrong?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru ran after her instructing the others to stay put. Zemaria hadn't gone too far. She was sitting in a tree crying. Shikamaru found her and went up in the tree and sat in front of her.

"Hey, why'd you run off like that?" He asked.

She answered, "Those were the same words Kotetsu said to me when Father left and Jiraiya went after him. Jiraiya failed to bring Father back to the Village. What if Naruto fails too?"

Shikamaru comforted her, "Orochimaru made a choice to leave the Village. Sasuke made a choice _because_ of Orochimaru. Naruto and Sasuke have a particularly unique bond. Naruto _will_ get Sasuke back. _All_ of us will... together."

Zemaria looked at him with big watery eyes, "Shikkie..."

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I smacked you... twice," she said.

He laughed and smiled, "Don't worry about it. Let's get going with this mission. I have to explain the battle formation and the plan to everyone."

She nodded and they headed back to the others. Zemaria apologized for her behavior. Neji explained to them the formation they'd be traveling in. He also explained the initial plan.


	12. Chapter 12: Sasuke Retrieval Squad

Chapter Twelve

Sasuke Retrieval Squad

The team traveled in the direction Sasuke most likely had taken. Sasuke was traveling with the Sound Ninja Four, the ones who had created the barrier during the fight with Sarutobi. They're names were Tayuya, Sakon, Jirobo, and Kidomaru. They had put a Jutsu in place to heighten the effects of the curse mark and placed in a special barrel.

They were headed for the Sound Village and back to Orochimaru. He was in need of a new body. The Immortality Jutsu he used only lasted for three maybe four years before he needed a new body for his soul. That's where Sasuke came in. He intended on stealing his body for the Sharingan.

"Shikamaru, wait!" Zemaria stopped moving along.

"Hm? What is it?" He asked stopping.

Zemaria twitched her head in a few directions, "I can hear heart beats up ahead."

"Oh man, you can really hear someone's heart beating far away?" Naruto asked.

She nodded, "Yes. I can hear four of them," she paused, "No wait, there's a fifth. Four are strong and the other is very faint. It might be Sasuke's."

Shikamaru, "All right, that means there are at least four enemies we'll encounter."

She twitched her head slightly, "There's three more. They're fast but faint. The enemies might have engaged in a battle with them. They're Leaf Shinobi."

Neji gasped, "You can tell all of that from their heart beats?"

"Yes, I can," she said.

Kiba asked, "How can you tell the difference between those heart beats and ours?"

"Just like you and Akamaru can determine smell, I determine heart beats. I already know what each of yours sound like... especially Shikkie's," she smiled.

Neji cringed, "Ugh the horror..."

"What horror?" Chouji asked.

"It's nothing to worry about Chouji. Neji, use your Byakugan to see up ahead if the enemy is close," Shikamaru instructed.

He nodded, "Right. Byakugan! It looks like there's four of them as Zemaria said. I don't see Sasuke but there's a sort of large container and it's possible he's inside."

Shikamaru came up with a plan. He explained they didn't have time to check on the Shinobi the enemy had fought with. There was also the possibility that the enemy had booby trapped the area after their encounter. He gave each of them their orders and they all got into position.

The Sound Ninja were actually pretending to rest since they had their guards up now after fighting the Leaf Shinobi. Zemaria was crouched down behind some bushes. She used a transformation Jutsu to turn herself into a ravenous wolf. Readying herself, she crept out of the bushes and then leapt straight for them.

She let out a fierce growl. The moment she got close enough to Kidomaru, he rammed a kunai into her chest and threw her halfway across their resting spot. She landed on the ground bleeding, the kunai still stuck in her. The transformation Jutsu was released.

"Well if it isn't Lord Orochimaru's daughter," Kidomaru said with a dark smile.

"Hold on Kidomaru, Lord Orochimaru made it absolutely clear that we're not allowed to touch his daughter if we had to deal with Leaf Ninja during this mission," Tayuya reminded him.

Zemaria removed the kunai and healed the wound. Kiba attacked next using fang over fang. As he attacked, Shikamaru got Zemaria out of harm's way. The Sound Ninja had the area booby trapped as Shikamaru suspected. An explosion of paper bombs went off.

The explosion cleared the surrounding trees leaving an area of open field. Everyone, enemy included was okay. The smoke cleared. The sound Ninja were on one side and the Leaf on the other.

"Zemaria, are you okay?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," she told him nodding.

"What about you guys? Kiba? Chouji? Neji? Naruto?" He asked them all.

"Akamaru and I are fine," Kiba answered.

Neji nodded, "I'm fine too."

Chouji said, "Yup, I'm good."

Naruto responded, "I'm fine."

The Sound Ninja just stood there across the way. Jirobo was looking hungry and anxious to get some fighting in. They were talking inaudibly, at least inaudibly to everyone but Zemaria.

"You idiot, what were you thinking? I told you we aren't allowed to touch Lord Orochimaru's daughter," Tayuya whispered harshly to Kidomaru.

"Hey Shikkie, are you glad you let me come along now? They just said they aren't allowed to harm me," Zemaria smiled.

Neji asked, "How do you know that's what they said?"

She answered, "Hearing remember? It not just hearts I can hear, when the person is a certain distance away, I can hear what they're saying. Even if the person is whispering I can still hear it. I couldn't hear them setting the trap because they were too far ahead."

"I suppose having you here is a great asset," Shikamaru sighed. "I just don't want her to get hurt or worse," he thought to himself.

Jirobo told his companions to go on ahead with Sasuke. He wanted to take care of the Leaf Ninja himself. They nodded and before they left ordered him to catch up and not take his sweet time. They were on a tight time schedule after all.

Zemaria transformed into a wolf again. She charged toward Jirobo in a zigzag type of pattern. She made the leap straight for his throat but he grabbed her by her's and held her tight. He started to absorb some of her Chakra.

"Zemaria!" Naruto shouted.

As she dangled, she managed to grab onto his arm. She released her claws and dug them into his arm with everything she had. Out of pain, he released his grip and tossed her in the direction of her friends. The Jutsu was released. She laid there a minute trying to get her breathing back.

"I... thought... that would... work somehow," she gasped.

"Obviously it didn't. Are you okay?" Shikamaru said.

She nodded, "Yeah. But, we're up against the formerly known as the Sound Ninja Five. For some reason there's only four. The cute one is missing."

Shikamaru gave her a look.

"What? Hey, I'm only human," she commented.

"Do you know anything about their abilities? Strengths? Weaknesses?" Neji asked her.

She shook her head, "I'm not familiar with their style of attacks. I only came into contact with them a few times. The first time being the Chuunin Exams when they made that barrier during the fight with the Third."

Before they could think, Jirobo captured them in his Earth Dome. Each of them tried to break it. None of their attacks worked. Zemaria now able to move, walked over to one of the walls. Her vines attempted to break through. They failed.

She gathered electricity in her hand, "Lightning palm!"

She slammed her palm into the wall only to immediately remove it from the Jutsu backfiring.

"Ah!" She yelled trying to shake the pain off.

Zemaria took a look at her hand. It was burned. As she tried to heal it, her Chakra was being absorbed. Shikamaru came up to her and wrapped her hand up. After several more failed attempts, Shikamaru had figured it out. Each spot that Kiba and Akamaru hit using Fang over Fang repaired itself at a different rate.

It was the same for Chouji's human boulder move. Neji used his Byakugan and confirmed Shikamaru's theory. They now had the upper hand. Out of nowhere, Zemaria screamed and collapsed. She wasn't unconscious though. A tail started to appear and then a second one.

She was forming armor around her back and head. One of her eyes closed. It was the Three-Tails. She let out a roar as the turtle would sound like. The armor also formed on her arms and legs. Enraged, she used a hyper beam attack on the dome. It left a deep line around half of it but didn't break it.

She finally collapsed again but this time lost consciousness. Her body changed back to normal. Worried, Shikamaru quickly put his plan into action. Kiba and Akamaru attacked the weakest spot followed by Chouji's Human Boulder. That did it. They were free. Neji got Zemaria to safety.

"Zemaria? Hey, wake up," Neji said lightly smacking the side of her face.

She opened her eyes, "Neji?"

"Guys, I'll finish this one off. When I'm done, I'll meet up with you," Chouji said with a fire in his eyes.

Reluctantly, Shikamaru agreed to his plan. They took Zemaria and ran to catch up to the other Ninja and Sasuke. Along the way, Zemaria let Neji know she was okay to continue without help. They caught up to the enemy not long after.

Shikamaru had transformed into Jirobo. It wasn't long before his companions had caught on. Neji, Kiba, Naruto, and Zemaria all were hiding. He released the transformation.

"All right you got me," he said.

Tayuya and Sakon took the container with Sasuke and left the Leaf Ninja up to Kidomaru. They told him not to take too long. Shikamaru carefully calculated an effective approach. The enemy was still unknown. Shikamaru attacked but was caught in webs from Kidomaru.

Zemaria fronted the attack plan. She leapt straight for Kidomaru and used Lightning Palm. The attack didn't work. It was like it didn't affect him at all. He held a hand straight out and shoved her away while shooting spider webs. She landed against a tree and was trapped in a partial cocoon around her body. Her hands were plastered to the tree separate from the cocoon around her body.

Neji attacked next using gentle fist. Kidomaru dodged, spit a slew of webs, and caught Neji in a full cocoon against a tree. It was Naruto's turn. He used Shadow clones to attack. All of them were caught in a giant web spreading across several trees. Finally, Kiba and Akamaru attacked. Unfortunately they too were trapped.

They landed on a tree branch and their feet were stuck on the sticky web substance. They were all caught. How were they going to defeat this one? Kidomaru created solidified partial boomerang looking weapons from his saliva and web creating ability.

"Let's play a little game shall we?" He said.

He threw one of his weapons at one of the Narutos trapped in his web. It was like playing a game of Russian Roulette but with Naruto Clones instead of your own fingers. The one he hit disappeared.

"Naruto!" Zemaria shouted in fear.

One by one each clone disappeared. As they did, Neji was starting to figure out how to defeat his technique he was using. Zemaria was figuring it out as well. The webs were infused with his own Chakra. It was down to two Narutos. Neji was able to free himself of his cocoon. Zemaria broke free also.

Neji's technique was accessing all of his Chakra points and cutting the threads with his own Chakra. Zemaria used electricity to break free. She produced it through her whole body and disrupted the flow of Kidomaru's Chakra. All of the Narutos were now gone. They were all Clones.

The real Naruto attacked him from behind. Kidomaru was on guard and Naruto's attack failed. Neji freed Shikamaru, Kiba, and Akamaru. He insisted the go after the last two Sound Ninja along with Zemaria and Naruto. Shikamaru was unsure but as leader he had to make a choice. The mission was to retrieve Sasuke and that's what they had to do.

The five of them took off after Tayuya and Sakon. When they caught up to them, Shikamaru and the others pulled a fast one on them again and Naruto ended up with the container holding Sasuke. Kiba and Akamaru took on Sakon. There was an explosion that separated the two from Shikamaru, Zemaria, and Naruto. It also separated Sakon from Tayuya.

"Naruto, don't let her near Sasuke no matter what!" He told him.

Naruto nodded, "No problem Shikamaru!"

"Kiba... Akamaru, you two better be alive still," Shikamaru thought to himself.

Suddenly, a figure comes out of the shadows and snatches the container from Naruto. He lands on a tree branch further up from them. His name was Kimimaro Kaguya and he was formerly the fifth member of the Sound Ninja Five.

"Ki- Kimimaro?" Zemaria said shocked.

"Zemaria, I see you have not chosen to stay at Lord Orochimaru's side," he said plainly.

"I thought- the last time I saw you, you were barely breathing," she pointed out.

Shikamaru questioned, "Do you know this one Zemaria?"

She nodded, "I do. He was part of the Sound Ninja Five but fell ill during Father's plans of destroying the Village and that's how it became the Sound Ninja Four. But when I saw him directly after, he was still capable of moving until later on."

"I cannot allow you to interfere with Lord Orochimaru's plans for this boy. I thought my purpose was lost but this child gave me a new one," Kimimaro said.

He took the container and jumped away. Naruto went after him. Shikamaru told Zemaria to go as well and retrieve Sasuke.

"But- Shikamaru, what about you?" She asked concerned. She created an immortal clone, "I'll keep this clone with you in case you need help. It will _only_ disappear if I release the Jutsu or die."

"Don't worry about me here. I'll be fine. I promise," he smiled to her.

She kissed his cheek and went off to catch up to Naruto. Tayuya laughed at him trying to act all tough only to go soft because of a girl. They engaged in a battle. Kiba and Akamaru during the blast were thrown off a ledge and were in some sort of canyon. Sakon was there as well. They too were engaged in a battle.

Kimimaro left the forest and ended up in a huge field. Naruto caught up to him and then Zemaria. He tried to run off but Zemaria used her vines to create a tall wall stopping him from continuing.

"Alright pal, you're going down!" Naruto shouted creating an army of Shadow Clones.

"I'm with _you_ Naruto! Immortal Clone Jutsu!" Zemaria yelled.

"An army of clones huh?" Kimimaro looked around.

He was far outnumbered. Kimimaro defeated all of Naruto's clones. The vine wall was removed by Zemaria. The container holding Sasuke began to release some sort of smoke. The top to it flew off. Sasuke got out of it. He was surrounded by purple Chakra and his hair looked a lot different. He laughed loudly and took off into the distance.

"Naruto, go after Sasuke. Bring him back," she told him, "I can handle things here."

He nodded, "Right. Zemaria, just don't die okay?"

"I won't, I promise," she gave him a thumbs up as he did with Sakura.

Naruto took off after Sasuke. Kimimaro was left with just Zemaria to fight. He shot the bones from his fingers at her. A wall of vines quickly formed in front of her protecting her. Kimimaro had a Kekkei Genkai that allowed him to use his own bones as weapons. Firing the finger bones was his Digital Shrapnel attack.

"Let me show you my dances," he said.

"From the moment I met you I could hear our heart beats beating in unison. What do you think that could mean? Even though my mind is trying to get my heart racing right now from this battle, it's still beating with yours," Zemaria told him.

Kimimaro stopped a moment, "Our hearts beating? In unison? Could our destinies be entwined?"

Zemaria stood in an attack stance, "Either way, no matter how cute you are... you must die here."

"Behold, my Camellia Dance!" He said.

Several of his bones grew out of his body. Zemaria's clones attacked him. His bones were fatal to the Clones but none of them disappeared. Zemaria felt some of the affects of his attacks on her own body.

"Did you know that Lord Orochimaru planned on betrothing us?" He asked her.

She was shocked, "What? He was going to have us get married?"

He nodded, "That's right. He planned on re-establishing my clan and to do that he wanted us to reproduce."

Zemaria's eye twitched, "That sly son of a-," She attacked Kimimaro herself out of rage towards her Father and his plans.

Kimimaro attacked back. The battle was long and both sides were taking a great beating. Zemaria was weakened significantly. As Kimimaro attacked once more, a shield of sand stopped the attack. Zemaria stared at it. She knew that sand and who it belonged to.

"Gaara?" She asked looking up at him from the ground.

"Your Hokage sent for us to come help you out. My two team members are already helping your friends," Gaara simple said.

He told her to stay back, that he'd handle things from here. She explained how his technique worked and told him it was a Kekkei Genkai. Gaara went head to head with Kimimaro. Gaara buried him in Sand and used Giant Sand Burial on him but he didn't die. Kimimaro activated the second stage Curse Mark Orochimaru had given him. Soon Kimimaro went from using Camellia Dance to Clematic Dance (Vine). He pulled his spine straight out of his back.

In his second stage Curse Mark, Kimimaro's entire appearance had changed. He had dark skin, markings on his face and around his eyes, and a tail. He was a lot more powerful than before. He was also very much pissed and determined on killing Gaara.

Gaara created his ultimate defense the Shukaku Shield. Kimimaro wrapped his spine around Gaara whom was encased in a mound of sand. He got close to Gaara and went from the Vine part of the dance to the Flower part. His entire arm formed a drill out of bone which was to represent the flower. He drilled through the Shukaku Shield but didn't get very far before the bones shattered.

He decided to try his Larch dance now. Gaara wouldn't let him get close to him or Zemaria who was trying to heal herself. Gaara's last move with what Chakra he had left, was Ultimate Sand Coffin. That did it. At least they thought it did it.

"Dance... BRACKEN DANCE!" Kimimaro yelled from under the sand with his last dying breath.

Gaara managed to create a sand cloud for himself and one for Zemaria to avoid the massive amount of bones that shot up from under the Earth from Kimimaro. Unfortunately, Zemaria hadn't been lifted high enough to safety. Several of the bones pierced straight through her. She spewed up a lot of blood. Gaara quickly and carefully was able to remove her from them.

An overview of every single battle; Chouji defeated Jirobo only to collapse on his way to catch up to his friends, Neji too defeated his opponent Kidomaru but took a critical hit from a solidified arrow he shot at him, Kiba and Akamaru managed to wear down Sakon and his detachable half Ukon and Kankuro finished them off, Shikamaru nearly defeated Tayuya and Temari arrived in time to save his ass and finish Tayuya herself. Naruto and Sasuke had an ultimate one on one battle.

Sasuke walked away leaving Naruto unconscious and badly injured. They were all found by the Medical Unit that was sent out. Kakashi along with Pakkun had found Naruto. He brought him back to the Village himself.


	13. Chapter 13: Mission Failed!

Chapter Thirteen

Mission Failed!

"This is all my fault," Shikamaru hung his head.

He was sitting outside the Critical Care room Chouji was in. Temari was sitting on the other side. Neji's condition was the worst. His wound was deadly close to his heart. Kiba and Akamaru were stable. Zemaria was just as bad as Neji. All Shikamaru escaped with was a broken finger when he got himself out of Tayuya's Genjutsu. He had his own shadow break his finger.

Naruto was also in stable condition. It was a long while before Tsunade came out of the room with Chouji in it. Shizune and several other Medical Ninja were working to fix Neji. Zemaria was in a similar situation. Both of her lungs, one of her kidneys, and part of her spine were all hit with Kimimaro's dense bones.

Temari gave Shikamaru the third degree about his failed mission. She told him to be blaming himself. Things happen where your comrades will fall. The important thing is that no one was killed. Tsunade scolded him about the failure. She too acknowledged that his team was still alive.

"All of my comrades were or still are hanging on the brink of death! My own girlfriend has a small chance of even _waking up_ because of _my_ decisions as team Leader!" He stood up enraged at himself.

Shikaku gave him a lecture, "Zemaria's severe condition with her injuries was _not_ because of your decisions. Anything could have happened out there. You did what you thought was a proper course to take with each of your team members. You failed the mission, yes but there will be other missions that put lives at risk. You need to learn how to handle that and deal with it. You aren't some weak Gennin anymore Shikamaru, you're a Chuunin. You have the responsibility of looking out for those who follow you."

Shikamaru pouted. He knew his Father was right. The good news was Chouji was out of the woods now thanks to Tsunade and her medical Ninjutsu. Neji soon too was out of the woods and in a bed resting. Kiba and Akamaru were told to stay put in the hospital to rest. Naruto was out cold still from his battle with Sasuke. The only one that was still in danger was Zemaria.

Tsunade let him know he could go to her room to see her even though she was still unconscious. Her injuries were taken care of as much as they could be. Shikamaru left to find her room. He entered and leaning against a wall was Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya? How long have you been in here?" He asked.

"For about an hour now," he answered folding his arms.

Shikamaru looked Zemaria over, "This is all my fault. I should have pushed harder for her not to come along. If I had, she wouldn't be her like this."

He took his anger out on the wall near him. Jiraiya calmly told him there was nothing he could have done. She'd have gone off to help them any way. Zemaria wasn't one for following orders most of the time but she wasn't nearly as reckless as Naruto. In fact, compared to Naruto, she was basically a Saint.

Shikamaru waited for hours for her to wake up. As night fell, Jiraiya had left to go home and get some sleep. Kiba and Akamaru visited her room. He tried to convince Shikamaru to go home to sleep but he insisted on staying by Zemaria until she woke up.

He fell asleep with his head resting on her bedside. Days passed by. Zemaria hadn't woken. Why did this have to happen? Shikamaru found happiness only to have it ripped from him. Whenever he was alone with her in the room he'd cry hoping she'd wake up.

After a week of no change, Zemaria's vines gently wrapped around Shikamaru. He watched as they embraced him. Was this it? Was she going to wake up? There hadn't been anything like this happening for a week.

"Shi- Shikkie-," Zemaria let out weakly, her eyes still closed.

Shikamaru's face lit up with hope, "Zemaria!? Zem, I'm here. Can you open your eyes for me?"

Her head moved slightly in his direction, "Shi... kkie..."

"Zem, I need you to have your vines let me leave. I have to tell the Medical Ninja you're able to speak again," he told her.

The vines unwrapped from him. He quickly ran out of the room and headed straight for the first available Medical Ninja he could find. Ironically, that available Ninja happened to be Shizune who was supervising Lee after Tsunade had performed a surgery on him.

"Shizune! Shizune you have to come quick! It's Zemaria!" He shouted frantically.

"Zemaria? What happened? Is something wrong?" She quickly asked.

He shook his head, "No, come quick. She spoke. Her vines wrapped around me as if to hug me and she moved her head a bit! Please come right away!"

She nodded and they both ran back to her room. Shizune examined Zemaria. There was definitely a positive change from the previous days. She told Shikamaru to stay with her so she could get Tsunade to come. She had been worried as much as Shikamaru had been. Zemaria _was_ her daughter after all.

"Just stay with me Zem. Shizune is going to get Lady Tsunade," he told her holding her hand.

Tsunade hurried to Zemaria's room. She went to her bedside. Shikamaru stepped aside. Zemaria cracked her eyes open. Her breathing was still a bit shallow.

"Zemaria, can you open your eyes any more?" Tsunade asked.

"...Mother," she said faintly.

Tsunade checked her vitals. She was stable. It would only be a matter of time before she'd make a full recovery. It wouldn't be too long before she'd be able to breathe on her own too.

Shikamaru was anxious about her condition, "Lady Tsunade, how is she looking? Will she be able to leave the hospital soon?"

She answered, "She's stable now. Her breathing is still a little shallow but she's mostly out of the woods. She's not out _yet_ though. She's still having trouble speaking and keeping her eyes open. I'll personally keep an eye on her and check in periodically."

Shizune made a suggestion to Shikamaru, "You should go home and rest. You've been here by Zemaria's side for an entire week now. It's about time you spent some time at home while she recuperates here."

"I'd rather stay here," he said pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Shikamaru, go home. That's an order. Shizune and I can handle things here and keep watch over Zemaria," Tsunade ordered him.

"I'd rather _not_ and that's final. I'm staying here," Shikamaru demanded.

Tsunade lost this round. Shikamaru was staying. He fell asleep at her side as he did for an entire week. The next day, Naruto came to visit. He had been ordered to rest which he didn't listen to like always.

"Hey, Shikamaru how's Zemaria doing? I heard from Grandma Tsunade that she was awake again," Naruto said with a smile.

"Hm? Oh Naruto, it's you. Yeah. She opened her eyes yesterday and spoke a little. That was about it," Shikamaru told him rubbing his eyes.

Naruto laughed, "Have you been sleeping here? You look super tired."

He nodded, "I've been here an entire week plus one. Lady Tsunade wanted me to go back home since Zem was starting to make progress but I'd rather stay here with her."

They chatted for a bit. Shikamaru explained how Tsunade wanted to send him on a mission or two the week before but he couldn't. He didn't want to leave Zemaria's side. She had eventually given up on sending him on missions as he clearly couldn't stop worrying about Zemaria.

Naruto told him he was order to rest for a while and take it easy until his body had time to heal. He wasn't listening to his orders either. He had gone back to training in order to get strong enough to get Sasuke back from Orochimaru's clutches. Shikamaru gave him a look. He didn't like Orochimaru but he _was_ still Zemaria's Father. A bit of mixed feelings going on.

"What's that look for? Are you mad at me for some reason?" Naruto asked concerned.

Shikamaru said, "Huh? No, not with you. I'm just... it's nothing to worry about. Just forget it."

Naruto groaned, "Alright, fine. I came to see how Zemaria was doing so..."

Zemaria's voice was a little more audible now, "Naruto..."

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Naruto smiled.

"A little better. Is everyone else okay?" She asked him.

"Mm hm. Everyone's fine. Neji was pretty bad like you were but he pulled through real good. Chouji was mostly exhausted with those pills he took during his battle but he's healed up now too. Kiba and Akamaru are also doing well. And you can see I'm fine too," Naruto said with a big smile.

Shikamaru was a little on edge, "...Naruto."

He looked at him confused, "What is it? Something wrong?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with Zemaria," he told him.

"Oh... okay then," he said still confused and left the room.

Shikamaru told her everything that happened during the mission. Kiba had told him about his fight, Neji about his, Chouji about his, and even Naruto told him what happened between him and Sasuke. Finally, Shikamaru told her about his fight with Tayuya. After he was finished, Zemaria had enough energy to tell him about _her_ battle with Kimimaro and how amazing Gaara was fighting him and protecting her.

Shikamaru was still feeling bad about everything. She reassured him it wasn't his fault. Zemaria reached her arm out and placed her hand on Shikamaru's. He took her hand and gave it a kiss and held it tight. It was nearly a month before Zemaria was able to walk on her own. According to Tsunade there was a ten percent chance she would be able to walk at all considering the one bone hit her in her spine.

It was a nice morning. Zemaria shuffled around in the bed. Shikamaru began teasing her to wake her up. He was awake because Tsunade had given him a mission the night before and told him he didn't need to leave right away. He could wait until morning to leave. Zemaria was refusing to wake up. Shikamaru decided to go with plan B.

He shrugged his shoulders, went into the bathroom, came back with a cup filled with water, and splashed it on her. That woke her up. She stared him down like a cat that had been thrown in a bathtub filled with cold water. He was starting to regret using plan B.

"Don't smack me?" He coward.

"I'm wet... in more ways than one thanks to you," she said eye twitching.

He snickered. Today was actually a very special day. It was Zemaria's birthday. Shikamaru secretly knew that. She was turning thirteen today. Shikamaru got her a towel and helped her dry off. Somehow or another he managed to strip her.

She stared at him blushing, "You did that on purpose just to make me naked. Meanie."

"Uh- well I- um-," Shikamaru began to blush and looked away from her.

She smiled and tackled him. Shikamaru's face turned ten shades of red. It had been a month since they could be as close as they were at that very moment. Shaking his shyness off, he embraced her and pressed his body against her's. He told her he didn't have too long before he needed to head out for a mission.

She removed his shirt and they began kissing. Shikamaru laid her on her back gingerly and kissed her neck. As lazy as he was, he was incredibly elegant in the bedroom. As he continued kissing her, he slipped off his pants. They began to engage in the very thing his Father firmly told them not do.

Their escapade lasted about twenty-five minutes before Shikamaru had to leave for his mission. Zemaria made herself snug under the blanket while he got himself dressed. Miss Zemaria was being playful and hid his pants with her under the blanket.

"Hm? Where'd my pants-," he cut himself off and looked at Zemaria.

She snickered, "You have to get them from me."

He smiled at her, "Oh? Is that so?"

They giggled a bit and he finally got his pants back. After getting dressed, he kissed her goodbye and off we went. Zemaria went down to the kitchen. The moment she saw Shikaku staring at her she knew he knew what was going on. He walked over to her and handed her something that was wrapped up.

"This is from Shikamaru. He'd have given it to you himself but he didn't have much time before he had to leave for his mission," he told her.

"Thanks. Wonder what it is," she stared at his curiously.

She continued to stare at the fairly small square package. Sitting down on the couch, she decided to unwrap it. She opened the box to find a smaller box, a piece of paper, and a card.

Zemaria removed the piece of paper first, "Zem, I would have preferred being present when you opened your gift. I'm sorry Lady Tsunade ordered me to go on a mission last minute. I'll be home in a couple of days. Love, Shikkie."

"Shikkie huh? I don't think I've ever heard Shikamaru being called by a nickname before," Shikaku smiled.

Zemaria read the card next, "Today is the day you become a woman. The day you say goodbye to the number twelve and hello to Thirteen. Happy Birthday."

She opened the smaller box. It was a ring. A beautiful ruby and diamond ring. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. Was that what she thought it was? There was something written on the inside of the box.

"Zemaria, will you marry me?" She read. "What!? He-."

"What is he thinking?" Shikaku wondered.

"I- I don't know what to say," she said.

Shikaku informed her that Shikamaru asked him to let her know she didn't have to provide an answer until after he returned home. She smacked him one for already knowing about it. Afterwards she high-tailed it into hiding... just in case. Shikamaru's father kinda scared her a bit for some reason even with Orochimaru as her own father.

Shikaku knocked on the door to the bedroom, "Zemaria, you can come out. I'm not _that_ scary."

She opened the door, "Sorry, force of habit. I only have a couple of days to think about things."

She made a crooked face. This was a huge step. They had only been together since the attack on the Village and she was being held for interrogation. That was almost three months ago. All day she couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru's proposal. That wasn't the _only_ thing she couldn't stop thinking about either.

If she said yes and word got around too much, Orochimaru would be likely to infiltrate the Village in disguise just to see her get married. He might see it as an advantage to try and destroy the Village again. What was she going to do? If she spent too much time thinking about her Father and a potential threat from him she'd never be happy.

She shook all of her concerns off in time for dinner. The moment she sat down she couldn't eat. Now she started worrying about Shikamaru. Would it be possible that Orochimaru would instead try to target _him_? Oh that was a ridiculous thought. Why would Orochimaru want to target Shikamaru anyway?

"Zemaria dear, are you okay? You seem a bit distracted tonight," Yoshino asked.

"I was just... thinking," she said.

Shikaku asked, "Are you still thinking about Shikamaru and his proposal?"

"Proposal?" Questioned Yoshino.

Shikaku nodded, "That's right. Our young Casanova decided to propose to Zemaria. I wouldn't have recommended it but that's what he chose."

"I'm not sure if I can eat right now. There's something else bothering me," she said and excused herself from the table.

Zemaria went back upstairs to the bedroom. She sat on the windowsill and thought for a while. Maybe she was worrying over nothing. She let out a sigh. She jumped out the window and ran off to find a quieter spot to just think.

She found a nice spot by a river. It wasn't _as_ quiet as the bedroom but at least she wouldn't be disturbed. She sat by the water and tossed small stones into it. Soon she fell asleep. Her vines created a tent like structure to protect her during the night. She had been so tired, she slept by the river until Shikamaru returned to the Village.


	14. Chapter 14: Proposal

Chapter Fourteen

Proposal

"Zem? Hey, Zemaria... wake up," Shikamaru had entered her makeshift tent.

"Mm... five more minutes momma," she said sound asleep.

He shrugs, "Well I guess it's time for Plan B again. I don't normally like to wake those who sleep. She's too cute to disturb..."

Shikamaru got up and made a short trip to the river, scooped up some water in a canteen, walked back over to Zemaria and splashed the water on her. She sleepily opened an eye an tried to focus. After realizing it was Shikamaru, the vine tent dismantled itself and she tackled him.

"Shikkie! When did you get back? I thought you were supposed to be gone for two days," she smiled.

Shikamaru was a little confused, "Uh- dad said you left and never came back. He was worried something happened. I've no idea how he missed coming here to look for you."

Zemaria blinked confused, "Wait, how long have I been sleeping then?"

"By the way he sounded when he told me I'd say two days," he told her.

"TWO DAYS!? I've been asleep for _two days_!? I haven't figured out an answer yet!" Zemaria yelled hopelessly.

Shikamaru laughed, "You're adorable. Dad told me you seemed to have a lot on your mind after opening my gift."

She nodded, "It had nothing to do with you and my answer though. At first I had concerns that Father would try and interfere with the wedding if he got wind of it. Then I got worried that instead of trying to take the Village again with the wedding as a distraction, he'd come after you. But that wouldn't make much sense since he had an opportunity to take you down when you and everyone came to rescue me from him."

"So that's what's on your mind then?" He asked her.

They stood together for a moment. Shikamaru gave her a hug and held her close. He gave her great comfort. Well, he did until she fell asleep in his arms.

"Heh, I think she's been hanging around _me_ a bit too long," he said and carried her home.

Shikaku asked him about what happened and why she had left like she did. He told him her concerns and as he was comforting her, she fell asleep. He brought her upstairs and placed her on the bed until she was ready to wake up again.

The hours passed by until she finally woke. She stretched and yawned before going downstairs. Yoshino, Shikaku, and Shikamaru all stared at her oddly. Oblivious to them, she went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a snack. When she turned around she finally noticed them standing there.

"Something wrong?" She asked mouth full with food.

Shikaku asked, "Um have you made a decision yet?"

Almost choking on her food she replied, "I uh- well..."

She turned away from them. Her face turned red. What was she going to do!? She wanted to tell them yes she accepted his proposal but she wanted it to be sweet and the only time romantic; just her and Shikamaru. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face them again.

"I think I'd prefer to answer that in private with Shikamaru if you don't mind," she said in a small shy voice.

She wasn't normally a shy type of person. Shikaku nodded and he and Yoshino left the house to give them some time alone. It was just her and Shikamaru now. She sat down on the couch.

Shikamaru asked, "So you have an answer now?"

She nodded, "Yes."

He sat down on the edge of the table. She took his hands and looked him in the eyes.

"My answer is yes. I will be yours forever and marry you," she smiled.

Shikamaru smiled widely. He took her in his arms and held her tight. She embraced him and giggled happily.

"We'll plan the wedding for a few years from now. I know for sure dad won't want it too close in the near future. He was concerned with me even proposing," he gave her a kiss.

The front door flew open and Shikaku, Yoshino, Tsunade, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi all fell inside smack on the floor. Damn eavesdroppers were listening in on the whole conversation. But where in the world did Tsunade and the rest of them come from?

"Dad!? Mom!?" Shikamaru yelled shocked.

"Naruto? Mom? Sakura? Even you Kakashi-Sensei? You were all eavesdropping?" Zemaria asked.

"Eh- the two of us were curious about your answer and then Naruto came by. Sakura was looking for _him_, Kakashi was going in this direction, and then Lady Tsunade was looking for all of them. So you see..." Shikaku said rubbing the back of his head with his hand only to get cut off by Shikamaru.

"Likely story," he said with his usual 'what a drag' expression.

Tsunade asked curiously, "Are the two of you really going to get married?"

Kakashi had a strange look on his face, "I can't believe it! My little Gennin is growing up so fast!" He sniffled.

"Good lord... Kakashi-Sensei get a hold of yourself," Zemaria told him.

Well, the engagement wasn't a secret anymore. Naruto had problems keeping a secret. He ran off to of course tell _everyone_ about the news. By the early evening all the original rookies along with Neji, Tenten, and Lee put together an engagement party at Shikamaru's place.

Shikamaru was unsure on how to feel, "Really guys, you didn't have to go through all the trouble of this."

"It's no trouble at all. Really," Hinata said shyly.

"Hey Shino why don't you try having a _little_ bit of fun at least?" Naruto asked disappointed at how mopey he always was.

They all partied and had a great time. Now, the story can't end just yet. For one it'd be nice to see the wedding right? Well, that won't be for another few years. There was cake and snacks and drinks for everyone at the party. The three biggest drunks present were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shikaku. Naruto decided he'd have some fun and draw on their faces when they passed out.

Sakura and Zemaria beat him up for it too. Shikamaru was glad it wasn't him instead. Eventually the party came to an end. Everyone said their goodbyes and went home. Everyone but Tsunade and Jiraiya who were still passed out with Shikaku. They were all on the floor.

"What are we going to do with these three?" Shikamaru asked.

"I've got an idea. I might not live past tomorrow but I have an idea," Zemaria said deviously.

She placed the three of them in one big erotic position and giggled. Shikamaru gasped and stared at them. Zemaria would be doomed if they found out she did that. Shikamaru calmly made his way up to the bedroom. They had their own private celebration before falling asleep. Morning came and it wasn't quiet for too long.

"ZEMARIA!" Yelled Tsunade as she, Jiraiya, and Shikaku woke.

Zemaria startled, fell off the bed, "What the-?"

Shikamaru woke up as well, "You're in _so_ much trouble!"

She freaked out, "Hide me!"

Frantically she decided instead to bolt out the window and make a hasty getaway via vine travel. Shikamaru yelled out the window to her not to leave _him_ there. With no time to think, Tsunade burst into the room nostrils flaming.

"Where is she Shikamaru?" She asked fuming.

Terrified he attempted to answer her, "I- uh- she- she's not here."

Tsunade flicked him out the window with her powerful flick. She searched all over the Village for her. Jiraiya had already received his beating from Tsunade even though it wasn't his fault. Shikaku cleverly had used Shadow Possession and then outsmarted her to make his escape. He was now looking for Shikamaru whom was flicked halfway across the Village.

After Tsunade found Zemaria and gave her hell about her actions, she gave her a mission. It was a B ranked escort mission. She called for Shino, Neji, and Kiba to make up the rest of the squad. Zemaria was team leader. The mission seemed simple enough but they were to defend against anyone who wanted to kidnap the person they were escorting.

The team headed off. Zemaria explained the mission in more detail to them along the way. They were going to the outskirts of the Land of Rice Patties which was notorious for having the Sound Village. That meant possibly entering Orochimaru's territory. After traveling a couple of days, they were finally getting close.

Zemaria stopped, "Wait."

Neji asked, "What's the matter? Why have you stopped?"

She pointed straight ahead, "There's a Village on fire."

"I don't believe that would be any of our concern," he said.

"Actually it is. That's the Village our client is supposed to be staying at," she told him.

Ahead of them was a fairly small Village. The client wasn't living there but instead staying there to rest. She was worried about the rest of her journey that someone would try and kidnap her. That was the reason for the current mission.

"Hold on, I can hear a heart beat that's far calmer than those of the Villagers. It must be from the person that started the fire," she said.

Separating them from the burning Village was a very wide canyon containing a violently moving river below. There was no bridge to cross over to the other side. Zemaria dove off the edge.

"Zemaria! Are you crazy or something!?" Kiba shouted.

It was fine, her vines wrapped around her and flung her to the other side. She did a few hand signs and faced the direction of her friends.

"Ninja Art: Vine Bridge Jutsu!" She yelled.

A bridge started to form from her side to the other made out of her own vines. The others quickly crossed it. They took a moment to gather their bearings.

"Neji, use your Byakugan to see if you can find our culprit. Whoever started the fire might have wanted to smoke out our client," she said.

He nodded, "Right. Byakugan!" He searched, "Up ahead. There's someone in the distance moving away very quickly."

Zemaria instructed, "Kiba, go into the Village as much as you can and get as many people to safety as possible. Also find our client. Make sure she's still there and still alive. Neji, Shino you both come with me. We're going after that guy."

"Are you sure this is a wise decision? Our mission is to escort the client and protect her from direct harm," Shino pointed out.

"If we don't find out what happened and who's responsible we mine as well be handing her over on a silver platter," Zemaria explained.

That was the end of that. They got moving to catch up to the suspect. Kiba was able to get all the Villagers to safety and found the client they were looking for. She explained that she was getting ready to await their arrival when the Village was attacked and went up in flames. Zemaria was catching up to the guy.

He attacked, "Wind Style: Crushing Bones Jutsu!"

Zemaria held her arm in front of her as an un-seeable force hit her straight on. She, Neji, and Shino could all hear her arm bone crack into pieces. The force threw her against a tree. She landed on a branch on her ass. Blood covered her arm and dripped down her mouth a bit.

"Zemaria, are you okay?" Neji asked.

"I'm fine. You'll regret doing that," she said.

Her vines wrapped around him rapidly. The thorns pierced his body injecting Zemaria's deadly poison. The guy was restrained.

"Tell me why you burned that Village back there! You have ten minutes before the poison that's entered your body will kill you!" She said.

He laughed, "Like I would ever tell _you_!" He yelled.

She narrowed her eyes, "Suit yourself. I _was_ going to be nice and give you an antidote for that poison but oh well, now I'm not."

The guy used a substitution to break free from the vines. Nonetheless he was still poisoned. Zemaria headed back to the burning Village. Her arm was still bleeding.

"Zemaria! What are you doing!?" Neji yelled running after her.

"The Village is still burning you know!" She yelled back to him.

They reached the Village. It was still burning. Smoke and fire filled the air. Zemaria did hand signs despite the pain from her left arm.

"Water Style: Dual Water Vortex Jutsu!" She said.

Two water Vortexes appeared from the river below. They rose up and sprayed on the fire. Soon the fire was out. All that was left was charred remains of the Village.

"Whoever is injured please come see me! I have Medical Ninjutsu Training and can heal the injured!" Zemaria yelled almost completely out of breath.

Shino stopped her a moment, "You're out of breath. Are you sure you can heal all of the injured?"

She swallowed hard, "I'm a lot stronger than you think Shino. I can handle it."

All of the injured Villagers gathered around Zemaria. The most severe were first. These ones had been badly burned from not getting out of the Village in time. By the time the least injured were up to be healed, Zemaria was running low on Chakra.

Right before the last injured Villager, she collapsed. She felt the effects from the guy's Jutsu that damaged her arm. Because of the intense pain, she screamed and clutched her arm.

Neji gasped concerned, "Zemaria, take it easy. You're Chakra levels are extremely low and you have your own injury to be concerned about."

"I'm fine. You forget I cheated death during the fight with Kimimaro. We have a mission to carry out," she said stubbornly.

"The mission can't be completed successfully if you are unable to continue it," Neji insisted.

She stood on her feet as shaky as they were. No, she was a Chuunin now. She had to be stronger than this. They and the client all continued on their way with the mission. Zemaria ignored her fatigue and her injured arm. She stopped after most of the day had gone by.

"We'll rest here for now," she told them.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? That guy that burnt down the Village could come back," Kiba said concerned.

She informed him, "Kiba, you and Akamaru have the best sense of smell. Neji has Byakugan. Shino has his insects. I can immediately hear heart beats a mile away. _No one_ is going to sneak up on us without one of us knowing."

A few hours passed by. Zemaria was about to order her team to continue when she heard something. It was heart beats. Two of them... no three. Three heart beats hiding.

She closed her eyes and slowly tilted her head in a few different directions, "They're here. Three of them."

Neji, Shino, and Kiba all gasped. Akamaru barked a bit. He caught a whiff of them.

"All right! We know you're hiding! Come out and show yourselves!" Zemaria shouted.

Shuriken flew out from the trees. Zemaria still feeling the pain of her arm dodged and stood on the trunk of a tree. More shuriken came from another direction. She dodged them as well.

"Show yourselves you cowards!" She yelled again.

"Eh- what are you trying to do? Get yourself _killed_!?" Kiba asked.

Three ninja came out of the trees. The might have been friends with the one they first encountered. Zemaria readied herself for a fight. Neji, Kiba, and Shino all stood at the ready.

One Ninja laughed at Zemaria, "Looks like you can barely stand! You're supposed to be the leader of this squad?"

"Don't be fooled. I may be hurt but I'm not dead. I can still fight," she said not backing down.


	15. Chapter 15: Life or Death Mission

Chapter Fifteen

Life or Death Mission

"Teh- from the looks of it you can't even _use_ your left arm!" Another Ninja said.

"I told you _not_ to be fooled!" Zemaria shouted and started making hand signs with just her right hand.

Neji looked shocked, "No way! Even for a Chuunin making hand signs with one hand is far too advanced!"

Zemaria told him, "I'm just full of surprises aren't I? Hidden Art: Three-Tailed Fog!"

A thick fog formed around the area. Zemaria ordered her team and the young woman they're protecting to ignore any and all illusions. The three-tails' fog creates illusions of your fears. She wasn't affected because she had the beast's spirit inside of her.

They did as she said. The three Ninja were taken back by it. The one was easy enough to catch off guard and pull him into the illusions of the fog. The other two were harder. Zemaria did hand signs again.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" She yelled.

The fire Jutsu just barely hit one of them. The Ninja that avoided the affects of the fog was able to get behind Zemaria. He kicked her directly in the back and sent her flying. She slammed straight into a tree. He had incredible speed and was behind her again. Neji and Shino were preoccupied with the other two while Kiba was protecting the client. The Ninja attacking Zemaria targeted her injured arm. He grabbed it and pulled it backward almost pulling out of its socket.

Zemaria screamed in pain. Her comrades couldn't help her at the moment. They were already fighting their own battles. Thinking quick, she turned into mud and got away from the Ninja. She panted heavily.

"Substitution?" He asked.

"Earth Style: Breaking Ground Jutsu!" She said making hand signs again.

The Earth starting breaking and cracking under the Ninja's feet. Neji took care of his opponent with gentle fist. Shino used his insects on his opponent. The Ninja that was fighting Zemaria changed his tactics and went straight for the young woman client. Kiba went on the defense but he wasn't fast enough and got injured.

Neji and Shino defended the woman. Knowing he wouldn't win the fight, he knocked Zemaria out and took her as a hostage. He vanished with her. This changed everything. Instead of nabbing the client, he took a comrade instead.

Kiba gasped, "Zemaria! Damn it! How could we let this happen!?"

The woman asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Neji concluded, "Our mission is to escort the client to her destination. However, we _cannot_ leave our friend and comrade to face the worst. In all likelihood, the enemy will propose a trade; the young woman for our friend."

Shino asked, "So, if we're to rescue Zemaria what is our plan of action?"

"The other two Ninja are incapacitated. The only one we have to worry about is the one who took Zemaria," Neji said.

"So we find him and do what?" Asked Kiba.

Neji told them, "It would be easiest if one of us used a transformation to look like Yukima. Then with the real Yukima safe, we'll take him off guard and as he's fighting at least one of us, the other will rescue Zemaria."

They all nodded. In the Ninja's hideout, Zemaria was still unconscious. He tied her up in the most uncomfortable manner possible. Slowly, she started to come to. She tried to move but only put more pain on herself. She groaned with the pain.

"Awake are we?" The Ninja laughed.

"You lousy son of a bitch!" She yelled.

"I'm going to use _you_ as leverage over the one I _really_ want!" He said.

"Ninja Art: Sonic Pulse!" Zemaria said and screamed at an ultra high pitch with all of her might.

The Ninja widened his eyes from the agenizing sound, "Ah! That noise!"

By now Neji and the others were getting closer to where Zemaria was. They stopped dead in their tracks.

"What in the world is that sound?" Neji asked confused.

The cave the Ninja was holding Zemaria in started collapsing from the high pitched sound. Kiba and Akamaru went on ahead. The Ninja just barely escaped the cave before the entrance was sealed shut with fallen rocks. Neji's plans had to be altered.

"Byakugan!" He said and searched for Zemaria in the collapsed cave.

It wasn't her wisest move. She was incapacitated and made a cave collapse while being unable to escape herself. He found her deep inside the cave. She was still alive but barely.

Shino asked Neji, "Is Zemaria still alive in there?"

He nodded, "She is but her Chakra is extremely low and she seems to be just barely alive. Also, she's bound so she's unable to get out."

He left to catch up to Kiba. Once he did, he told him to do everything possible to get Zemaria out of the cave. He would handle the Ninja. Kiba nodded and he and Akamaru used Fang over Fang to tunnel through the cave until they reached Zemaria.

"Kiba... Akamaru..." she said barely breathing.

"Don't worry Zemaria, we'll get you out of here," Kiba promised.

"What the hell is that kid in there!? She's not human!" The ninja exclaimed.

"Our friend is indeed human. She's just a high level Ninja for her rank. That's it. Skilled beyond her years. Even if she acts before she thinks sometimes," Neji defended her.

Kiba cut the restraints on Zemaria. She instantly fell to the ground. That last attack drained what little Chakra she had left. He helped her out of the cave. In the time it took to exit the cave, Neji was close to death. This Ninja enemy was strong; stronger than the others.

"Neji!" Kiba yelled.

"Damn it! I won't let my comrades die on _my_ watch!" Zemaria yelled.

Her body let out a swarm of dark green Chakra. It swirled around her. Kiba backed away. He eyes turned into those of a turtle and one of them closed. Two of her three tails appeared just like with the battle against Jirobo. The armor appeared around her body, legs, and arms. She went on all fours. A fierce yell escaped her mouth. It was the sound of the Three-Tailed Beast within her.

She charged towards the Ninja standing over Neji. Whipping her tails, she sideswiped him and he went flying. Facing his direction she let out a hyper beam attack and finished him off. Afterwards, she collapsed and returned to normal. Feeling even weaker than before she coughed up a fair amount of blood. Her arm was more shattered than it was.

"We... have to... finish the mission," she was just barely able to get the words out.

"_You_ aren't going any further. I'll send a message to the Leaf Village to send out a Medical Ninja. One of us will stay here with you until they arrive. The others will continue with the mission until it's complete," Shino ordered.

"Shino, _I'm_ the leader of this squad. I will stay with all of you until the end of the mission. I don't care if I have to travel by vines if I have to!" She managed to say it all but coughed up more blood in the process.

First she attempted to heal parts of her injuries. Next she took her blood and started writing on the ground. She made a symbol her friends didn't know.

She did hand signs with one hand again, "Secret Art: Three-Tailed Summoning!"

She slammed her hand on the ground over the symbol. A large but not full scale version of the Three-Tailed Turtle beast appeared. All four looked at her in absolute confusion.

"What kind of a summoning is that?" Asked Neji.

"My kind. Neji and Kiba, you've both seen my Tailed-Beast form two of three tails twice now. Neither of you even thought of asking about it to me. I'm just like Naruto. He has the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside of him. Father sealed the Three-Tailed Turtle Spirit inside of _me_. Inside of the Three-Tails are two different sizes of Three-Tails. They're mini version of him. I made a deal with him so that I can summon them at my will. This is the larger of the two. Kiba, write a message to the Leaf to send Medical Ninja to our final location," Zemaria explained.

He nodded and got started on the message. After he was done he handed it over to her. She held it against the tails of the mini Sanbi. The tails wrapped around it. She tapped on its shell in morris code. She sent him a message to hurry to the Leaf Village and give the message to Lady Tsunade. He quickly ran off. For a turtle he was super fast.

"Morris Code?" Kiba asked.

She nodded, "Best way to communicate with them. We need to get to our destination."

They all nodded. Zemaria took more of her blood. She made a streak down her injured arm over the marking that was the same as Orochimaru's.

Doing hand signs again she said, "Summoning Jutsu!" A large snake appeared under her.

"Whoa. How in the world did she have enough Chakra to do that?" Neji wondered.

Shino answered him, "She has a Tailed Beast in her remember. She shares its Chakra."

The snake wasn't nearly as large as Manda. It was more like one third his size. Zemaria fell forward panting. Her Chakra had been drained exponentially thanks to that summoning. She was about ready to just pass out. Her final instruction was to the snake. She told it to follow her friends to the Village they needed to go to.

After several hours, they finally reached the Village. There were no more enemies that crossed their path. However, the moment they entered, the snake poofed away. Zemaria dropped. She was too weak to land on her own safely. Before anyone could get to her Orochimaru gingerly caught her in his arms.

He stood there in front of them. Kabuto was by his side. Neji, Kiba, and Shino got ready just in case. Orochimaru smiled at them. He would never hurt his own daughter. Kneeling down, he set her on the ground.

"Kabuto, do what you must to heal her injuries," he told him.

"Yes my Lord," he said and immediately kneeled down next to her.

Neji grew defensive, "If you hurt her..."

Orochimaru interrupted him, "Why would I hurt my own child?"

"We've sent word to the Leaf Village to send Medical Ninja to our location. We don't trust either of you," he informed.

"Your Medical Ninja could take days to get here. By then it might already be too late," he insisted.

They reluctantly allowed Kabuto to heal Zemaria's injuries. He observed just how depleted her Chakra had become. If she had tried one more Jutsu she'd have died. He mostly healed her badly injured arm. When he migrated to her chest area he gasped in fear and shock. Orochimaru noticed the fancy ring on his daughter's finger; her engagement ring.

"My Lord!" He said concerned.

"What's wrong Kabuto?" He asked growing concerned as well.

"She has bone fragments lodged in areas around her heart and one of her lungs. I won't be able to treat that here," he told him.

Out of his love for his daughter he ordered Kabuto to safely transport her to the Sound Village. Of course her friends wanted to protest it but Orochimaru convinced them not to. They safely escorted their Client to her destination first. After that was done, they followed Orochimaru and Kabuto to the Village.

Kabuto gently placed Zemaria on an operating table. He worked his skills on her and focused everything on removing the fragments and repairing the bones. After the bones were fixed, he put his focus on the torn muscles and lung. Double checking his work, he was finally done after almost two hours.

Orochimaru approached his unconscious daughter. He did hand signs and placed a couple fingers on her forehead for several seconds. Kabuto transferred her to a hospital like bed and wheeled her out of the room.

"Hold on! What did you do Orochimaru? What was that Jutsu you used on her!?" Neji demanded an answer.

"Don't fret, it was just to ease her mind. I wouldn't want her to be in any pain when she woke up," he answered.

They were all on guard either way. She was placed in a more comfortable bed. In fact Orochimaru insisted on her resting in his own bed. It was odd for Neji, Kiba, and Shino to see such an evil man being so caring with someone. Was Orochimaru really just a big softy? Or was this some kind of a ruse?

Whatever it was the three friends didn't trust him. A couple days passed before Zemaria woke up. Kabuto special delivered breakfast to her. No one would leave her side. They were keeping an extra close eye on him and Orochimaru. Kabuto placed the tray on the night stand next to the bed.

Zemaria's primary arm was bandaged and had been placed in a sling. She sat up in the bed. Looking around she realized she was in her Father's room. How long had she been out? When did she get _here_? Hungry, she took the tray and placed it on her lap.

She did hand signs and changed the food to something else. Originally it was toast with a sunny side up egg and Orange Juice. She changed it to an omelet, bacon, and hot tea. Neji smiled and shook his head lightly. Even recuperating she was picky about her food.

"Father, I'm not five..." she mumbled as she ate.

"I know dear child, I know," he said standing in the doorway.

She almost choked on her omelet, "Father? Didn't think you heard that."

"It's alright. It's nice to see you're finally awake. You were unconscious for two days now," he told her.

She finished her food and tea and replaced the tray on the nightstand. Orochimaru informed them that the Medical Ninja from the Leaf sent word of their arrival in one day. Kakashi was leading them with his hounds. It was Pakkun who had gotten there first and sent the message to them.

The next day rolled around. Zemaria got out of the bed. Her comrades tried to convince her to rest more but she ignored them. She left the room. Shino sent a few of his insects to follow her but she activated Sanbi's fog and confused them. She walked down the various halls oblivious to anything and anyone around her.

Kabuto was around the corner, "Strange, where'd this fog come from?"

Zemaria made a turn down the hall he was. She walked right past him without saying a word.

"Lady Zemaria?" He asked.

She ignored him and kept walking. Zemaria hadn't even bothered to put her boots back on. Outside of the hideout stood Orochimaru. The medical unit from the Leaf were approaching the hideout, Kakashi and his pack in the lead. He realized where the hounds were leading them to.

"Orochimaru!" He yelled.

"What? Orochimaru?" Shizune questioned.

They figured it was a trap and attacked. Zemaria was hiding in the entrance in the shadows. She did hand signs with her good hand.

"Ninja Art: Vine Wall," she said.

A wall of vines formed quickly in front of Orochimaru. The Kunai and Shuriken hit the vine wall instead. Zemaria came out of the shadows and stood beside her father.

"Is that any way to treat the person who helped save my life? He may be considered dangerous and a horrible person but he's still my Father. It doesn't matter whatever he's done in the past. He brought me here and Kabuto fixed me up," she told them.

"Zemaria, why did you trick your friends like that?" Asked Orochimaru.

"What? What is he talking about Zemaria?" Kakashi asked her.

"Relax. Shino was trying to use his insects to keep an eye on me. I used Sanbi's fog to confuse them. That's it. Although I think Kabuto got caught in it too. Don't worry, the fog was deactivated once I reached the entrance," she said with a wink.

Orochimaru spoke again, "If you're done trying to kill me, I can take you to the young Ninja inside. I _was_ going to take you to Zemaria but she came out."

Zemaria did a few hand signs, "Release." She released the vine wall.

"Follow me and I'll guide you to them," he told the Medical unit and Kakashi.

Orochimaru walked away. Zemaria followed him. No one trusted him but they followed with caution. He led them to his room where Neji and the others stayed after Zemaria left the room. They decided to stay in the room instead of going after Zemaria. Soon the Medical Unit came to the room.

"Kakashi-Sensei? You're here?" Kiba asked surprised.

"I was asked to accompany the Medical Squad and use my Ninja Hounds to track all of you down. Little did we know, you were all here with Orochimaru," he said.

"Come now Kakashi. We're not enemies right now. The only thing you should be concerned about are your Leaf Ninja," he said smiling.

Zemaria put a hand to her forehead. All of a sudden she had a huge headache. Could it be from her injuries? Or maybe from the fatigue of using up so much Chakra? Whatever it was it didn't seem too good.


	16. Chapter 16: Orochimaru Takeover

Chapter Sixteen

Orochimaru's Subconscious Takeover

"Hey, are you okay?" Kakashi asked Zemaria.

She forced a smile, "Yeah I'm fine."

"She seems to be in pain somehow other than physical," he thought to himself.

The Medical Ninja patched Neji and the others up. Next to Zemaria, Neji had the most damage to his body between him, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru. Orochimaru was oddly hospitable. Everyone was taken care of. They all started back to the Leaf. Before they had left, Orochimaru had given Zemaria a kiss on her head.

"Dear child, I couldn't help but notice the nice ring on your left hand when I had Kabuto examine you initially," Orochimaru said.

"Yes. Shikamaru proposed to me and I accepted," she told him.

"Okay. Have a safe journey home," he said.

On the way home, Zemaria couldn't help but keep thinking of what her Father had said. He was strangely calm about it. After a day of traveling back, they took a rest. Zemaria kept hearing something in her head. She can't shake the voice. It grew louder and louder.

She kept ignoring the voice. In two days they returned to the Leaf Village. Zemaria and her team reported to Tsunade and the mission was marked up as a success. Kakashi and the Medical squad made their report as well. Kakashi stayed as the others left the Hokage's office. He told her about Orochimaru but didn't see Sasuke anywhere during the duration of their stay to treat the others.

He told them how he was strangely hospitable and docile. It was abnormal even for Orochimaru. Tsunade told him to keep his guard up as would she. They couldn't be sure he wasn't up to something. His grudge with the Village wasn't going away anytime soon.

Shikamaru found Zemaria at Ichiraku with Naruto. She was having a hard time using the chopsticks as she was left handed and it was her left arm that was in the sling and wrapped up. Shikamaru took a set of chopsticks and randomly fed her.

"Mm?" She swallowed, "Shikamaru? Where'd you come from?"

He laughed, "I heard you returned to the Village. Thought you would have come looking for me before this. Instead you went out to eat with Naruto."

She smiled, "He invited me and I was famished."

"Yeah Shikamaru. That's right. I saw Zemaria on my way here so I invited her along for some Ramen," he told him.

"Look at you. You're all beat up. Is there ever a mission you're on where you don't almost die?" He asked jokingly.

"Hm, I don't think so," she concluded.

They chat a bit while Shikamaru helps Zemaria with her problem of not being able to eat her Ramen. Naruto tells her she's lucky to have someone to feed her. He tried to get Sakura to do that once and all he got was clobbered. Two weeks later, Zemaria was summoned to Tsunade's office.

"I'm well aware of your extensive ability to use Medical Ninjutsu," Tsunade said.

"Yeah that's right," Zemaria nodded.

"I'd like for you to assist the medical core at the Hospital. We've been short staffed and I can't always be there to help. Being my daughter ultimately means you have the potential to become just as if not more skilled than myself. I'm also aware that your injuries haven't healed fully but you are able to use Jutsu with one hand," she told her.

Zemaria nodded again, "So that's it then? I'm being assigned as a Medical Ninja now?"

Tsunade nodded, "For now, yes. If I need you on a mission I'll let you know. You're dismissed.

She turned and walked away. When he opened the door, Sakura was there. She let her in first. She had a stack of books and papers in her arms.

"Oh, Zemaria. Hi," Sakura said looking around the stack.

"Hello Sakura," she greeted.

"How are your injuries doing?" She asked.

"Much better. If you'll please excuse me. I have things to take care of," Zemaria said.

"Of course," Sakura smiled and walked over to Tsunade.

Zemaria left the room and closed the door behind her. She didn't get too far down the hall when she heard the voice in her head again. It was telling her to kill; to let the darkness of her soul take over. She groaned, her hand clenching her head. She slunk down against the wall trying to get rid of the voice. Kurenai was walking down the same hall. She approached her.

"Lady Zemaria? Hey, are you okay?" She asked concerned.

As she kneeled down in front of her to see if she was okay, Zemaria attacked her. She grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She screamed fiercely at her before she removed her grip and ran off. Sakura and Tsunade heard all the noise and came out of the room.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Tsunade demanded.

"Kurenai-Sensei, what happened?" Sakura asked.

"I- I don't know. I was walking down the hall and saw Lady Zemaria. She was kneeling against the wall and I thought something might have been wrong," she said shaken up.

Zemaria was already outside of the building. She leaned against a tree. Her hand was shaking. The voice continued taunting her.

"Father, is this _your_ doing? Why? Why have you done this to me?" She asked.

Inside, Kurenai finished, "I asked her if something was wrong. When I knelt down to check, she attacked me. She had a look of sheer evil in her eyes. I've never seen anything like it in her before."

"We have to find her before she kills someone! Kurenai, send of _all_ available Jounin now!" Tsunade ordered and ran off to find her herself.

When Tsunade was outside the building, Zemaria caught a glimpse of her. She ran off. She knew that if the Village got involved people would die and she wouldn't be able to control it. Tsunade demanded she stop. Several Jounin were already on sight. Zemaria ran through the woods behind the Hokage building and started climbing the mountain.

She stopped when a bunch of shuriken came flying at her. She dodged them only to lose her footing. Extending her claws, she stopped herself from falling and continued. She stopped again at a spot she could stand on properly.

"Zemaria! Give yourself up before it's too late!" Kakashi yelled up.

She did hand signs and extended a hand out to them, "Lightning Style: Paralyzation!"

All of them were paralyzed and unable to move. Zemaria leapt straight over them from the edge she was standing on. She ran off. As she started through town, the Anbu were on her tail.

"Zemaria! What do you think you're doing!?" Jiraiya demanded to know.

She did hand signs, "Earth Style: Breaking Ground Jutsu!"

The Earth shook and started breaking under Jiraiya's feet. He jumped up and landed on a building's roof. He was concerned about her going on a rampage in the middle of town. The Villagers screamed in fear and ran away. He had to get her out in the open and away from populated areas. But how was he going to do that?

"Ninja Art: Oil Slick!" He said and spewed a slew of oil at her.

She dodged and ran off. She was headed straight for the main gates. Kotetsu and Izuma had already closed the gates by order of the Hokage. She couldn't escape. Jounin and Anbu were all lined up in front and at the towers ready to take her down.

She stopped running abruptly. The voice started up again singing the same old song. Telling her to kill and let the darkness take hold of her. She couldn't stand it. Why wouldn't it just go away!?

"Please Lady Zemaria stop this!" Kotetsu pleaded.

She screamed, "Shut up. Just shut up! Go away!"

She of course wasn't yelling at anyone around her but the voice in her head. Instantly the thirst for blood took over. Her left arm started twitching. She went down in Three-Tail position. Her left arm came out of the sling as if it weren't injured anymore.

"What? What's going on?" An Anbu asked.

They all watching in horror as the beast was coming out in Zemaria. She was on all fours now. This time was different. It wasn't just two tails that appeared, but the third tail appeared now too. She was encased in Sanbi's hard shell. It was no longer just a cloak of Chakra like Naruto's. This was the real deal. She actually transformed into a mini version of the Three-Tails.

She let out a roar. Her tails whipped around violently. Some of the Anbu tried to fight her only to end up being tossed away. This called for drastic measures. The Village had been worried for over twelve years about Naruto losing control of the fox spirit and instead, it was Zemaria who had lost control of her Turtle spirit.

Shikamaru showed up and gasped, "Z- Zemaria!? ZEMARIA!"

She slowly turned away from the gates. One of her tails extended in Shikamaru's direction. Shikaku yelled for him to look out but he was frozen with fear of what she'd become. He couldn't move. Shikaku used his Shadow Possession followed by Shadow Strangle Jutsu to stop her.

She roared again and sent a hyper beam in several directions. Tsunade arrived at the scene. Could no one stop her? Tsunade gave orders left and right to try and stop her. She broke free from Shikaku's Jutsu and forced herself to suppress the Three-Tails. Free of her transformation, she turned to the gates and charged.

She did hand signs again, "Lightning Style: Paralyzation!"

She paralyzed Kotetsu and Izuma. She climbed the gates and ran off as fast as she could. Tsunade ordered them to not let her cross the border. Jounin and Anbu followed her. She looked over her shoulder and ran faster. Her friends followed as well even against Tsunade's orders to stay out of it. She was too powerful for them to take her down.

Turning to face the pursuers she made hand signs, "Forbidden Art: Barrier!"

An invisible barrier was put up in their path. Anbu and others Ninja surrounded her on either side though. It didn't look good for anyone.

"Give up and just come quietly!" Asuma yelled.

"You're only making things harder on yourself!" Iruka told her.

They couldn't understand. If they tried to stop her she would kill them. It was better if they just let her go. They had no _idea_ what was going on with her. Screaming in frustration she dropped to her knees. Without realizing it, her vines impaled three Shinobi. She forced herself to stand. Her hands stopped shaking.

Her head hung low. Suddenly she became absolutely calm and still. She started laughing. It became more and more uncontrolled. Soon her laugh turned into Orochimaru's.

"You fools. You have no idea what you're dealing with," she said in his voice.

"Zemaria? What's going on?" Shikamaru demanded.

The barrier was released, "You poor innocent child. Did you think I wouldn't find out?" He held her hand up showing the ring.

"Orochimaru, what's the meaning of this?" Kakashi asked.

He turned her head to face him, "Kakashi, it's only been two weeks since we last saw each other hasn't it? Considering who I've invaded I'd have thought it would have taken a lot longer to break. After all I and Tsunade are strong people. I wouldn't have guessed my own daughter would be so easily broken like this."

"What do you want? What have you done to Zemaria?" Shikamaru asked angered.

"Me? Just this; if I'm not the one walking my dearest daughter down the aisle when you get married, I'll destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. And this time I'll succeed!" He said facing Shikamaru.

He released the Jutsu's hold on her. She collapsed and Shikamaru rushed to her side. Anbu ordered him to stay back but he didn't listen. He kneeled beside her trying to wake her up.

"Shika... maru..." she opened her eyes and then passed out.

When she woke up, she was in a jail cell. She slowly sat up and looked around. What had she done? Almost everything was a complete blank to her. Why was she in jail all of a sudden? She stood up and walked over to the bars of the cell. She was in it alone. There was no cellmate with her.

Izuma walked by and stopped, "Oh, Lady Zemaria you're awake."

"Izuma, what happened? Why am I here?" She asked.

"The Hokage ordered you to stay here until we can be sure Orochimaru's Jutsu has been released from you," he explained.

"Father's Jutsu?" She thought to herself.

Izuma apologized for her situation and walked away. Zemaria was doomed. Stuck in a prison filled with all _men_? What was her mother _thinking_!? She'd never survive. Maybe she secretly wants her dead. No way! Her mother would never do that! But then again...

She couldn't think like that. Tsunade was just doing what was best to keep the Village safe. The cell doors opened. All the inmates came out. Great they're all roaming around now. The Ninja in charge told them all to head out for their daily work time. Zemaria refused to partake in being mixed up with those who purposely killed their own comrades or stole important documents or scrolls.

She'd done nothing wrong that was done of her own freewill. It was Orochimaru's doing that caused all the trouble. As far as she remembered, she didn't even kill anyone. Looking around, she spotted Izuma again.

"Izuma, tell me. Tell me everything that happened before I was placed in here. As far as I remember, I didn't kill anyone," she told him.

Izuma sighed, "Actually you did. Three Shinobi fell at your hands or rather at your vines. You initially attacked Kurenai and then paralyzed several others. They escaped that Jutsu. You then attacked myself and Kotetsu using the Paralyzing Jutsu and also tried to attack Shikamaru. After you escaped the Village, your vines attacked all of us and pierced through three. Those three died."

"Three... dead...?" She asked shocked.

She actually _killed_ her own comrades? That's impossible. She'd never do anything like that. The other inmates caught wind of who she was and what she was doing in there. She felt all of their eyes staring at her. It gave her chills. And they see _her_ as dangerous?

"Well now, who do we have here?" Mizuki asked.

"_You_. You were the one that tricked Naruto into stealing the sacred Scroll of Sealing!" She yelled angered.

"Lady Zemaria, please calm down," Izuma pleaded.

She tried to use her Jutsu but of course her ability to do so was sealed the moment they put her in jail. The inmates laughed at her. Mizuki made fun of her inability to use her Jutsu like everyone else stuck in there. She narrowed her eyes. Her vines bitch smacked him right across the face.

"You still want to laugh?" She asked annoyed.

Mizuki was confused, "How did-? That's impossible. None of us inmates can use Jutsu in here!"

Zemaria explained, "My vines work independently from my actual Jutsu. It's more of an independent Kekkei Genkai. You might want to apologize or you'll die in ten minutes."

"Why on Earth would I do _that_?" He asked pissed.

"Because my vine didn't just smack you. That cut it left; my special poison that's in my blood was injected in you once the vine cut you. It will kill you in ten minutes unless you apologize. Only _I_ have the antidote available," she told him.

Nervous, Mizuki made an apology. He waivered before her. Despite his tough guy act, he was terrified and not ready to die. The others backed away from her. She bought out her claws, broke the seal that suppressed her Jutsu, did a few hand signs, and stuck Mizuki with one of the claws straight into a vein in his arm.

Once she removed her claw, Mizuki fell to his knees unable to move. He was in shock. Izuma quickly restrained her and knocked her out with something. Mizuki was taken to the infirmary to be patched up while Zemaria was taken to a different part of the prison.


	17. Chapter 17: Freedom and a Farewell

Chapter Seventeen

Freedom and a Farewell

Zemaria was held in a special cell. There weren't bars but instead a double thick titanium steel door with a small square cutout for a window. She was bound with chains. It might have been over kill a bit with how they were treating her. She soon woke up and realized she couldn't move.

The door to the cell had a seal on it to prevent her from even using her vines. She was absolutely powerless. After a few days, Shikamaru was finally allowed to see her. He had been barred from visiting before. Specifically, he asked for a conjugal visit. They finally agreed to it.

The one Ninja in charge released the seal to the door. He walked in and unchained her. She stared at him confused. Several days being stuck like that and all of a sudden she's free from her chains?

"You have a visitor," he told her.

"A visitor?" She thought.

The Ninja brought her to a special room. It had no window on the door and it contained a bed, toilet, and sink. He opened the door and had Zemaria enter the room. Shikamaru was in there waiting for her.

"Shikkie-Chan?" Zemaria asked surprised.

"Happy to see me?" He asked.

She ran over to him and tackled him. He almost lost his balance. He told her he got permission for a conjugal visit which meant they could be in private and well... do something Shikamaru's dad doesn't want them to. They both smiled as the Ninja closed the door. So it began, they kissed. They were allowed one hour.

That was actually a lot of time for them. In fact, they had a few rounds before they exhausted themselves. In the end they ended up snuggling under the blankets. Zemaria was happy to feel the warmth of Shikamaru against her body. The Ninja gave them a warning knock to get dressed. They had three minutes left.

"I'll come back again. Don't worry," Shikamaru promised.

"Okay," she nodded.

She didn't want him to go. The door swung open after they were dressed. Zemaria forced herself not to cry. She clung to him, hugging him tightly. He held her in his arms resting his chin on her head. The Ninja insisted on her getting back to her cell. Their time together was up. Shikamaru gave her a kiss. Zemaria reluctantly went with the Ninja.

Shikamaru stood in front of the room watching as they walked away. Another Ninja was there to guide him out of the prison. After four months Zemaria had ten visitors; Naruto, Neji, Lee, Sakura, Kakashi, Kiba, Shizune, Shikaku, plenty from Shikamaru, and Tsunade. Shikaku had warned her that if she were released and ever hurt Shikamaru she'd have to answer to _him_.

The thing is, Zemaria would _never_ hurt Shikamaru no matter how bad things become. Tsunade and Shizune made a visit to do a check on things. It was routine with them to make sure that Orochimaru's Jutsu really had been released.

Tsunade was visiting, "It's been four months. I'd say it's safe to let you out now. If Orochimaru wanted to cause more trouble for you he'd have done it by now. He has patience but not _that_ much patience,"

"So I'll be free now?" Asked Zemaria.

Tsunade nodded and she escorted her out of the prison and back to the Village. Despite the damage she had caused on her rampage, the Shinobi and the Villagers all welcomed her back with open arms. Shikamaru was there out in the front of the whole crowd. She ran over to him and like with each of his visits, she almost knocked him over tackling him.

He embraced her in his arms and picked her up a little off the ground. He was so happy to see her, he spun around a couple times like in a dramatic love scene in a movie. Tsunade told Zemaria to head to the hospital to assist the Medical Core like she wanted her to do before the fiasco with Orochimaru penetrating her subconscious. She went straight to the hospital as she was told after her greetings to everyone that missed her. Of course not everyone was out there to see her return.

There were several Shinobi that were off on missions. Zemaria spent hours in the hospital treating everything from minor cuts and sprains to performing complex surgeries and reattaching muscle tissue. After a week of working in the hospital, Naruto, Neji, Tenten, and Chouji were admitted. Zemaria checked them all out. Ultimately she took care of Tenten and Chouji whose injuries were worse than Naruto's or Neji's.

As time passed on, a new threat came out of the woodworks. When Naruto and Jiraiya had gone in search of Tsunade, they had encountered Sasuke's older brother Itachi and his partner in crime Kisame Hoshigake. They were part of an organization known as the Akatsuki. The primary objective of this group was gathering all of the Jinchuuriki the nine Shinobi that possessed the spirits of the tailed beasts such as Naruto, Zemaria, and Gaara.

Jiraiya knew it would only be a matter of time before they'd come after Naruto. Zemaria could definitely hold her own and if need be, Tsunade would find someone strong enough to train her to be more resilient against their enemies. Naruto trained harder than before. He even went to Zemaria to be a sparring partner when Jiraiya was out of the Village. She gladly accepted.

"Remember, I won't go easy on you!" Naruto yelled to her.

"It's not me you should be worried about," she laughed.

"Shadow clone Jutsu!" Naruto started with.

"Naruto, you're so predictable," she told him.

He had three clones attack directly. Two clones were hiding. He himself hung back. Zemaria used the Hidden Mist Jutsu to throw them off followed by Genjutsu. She threw kunai at the three clones headed for her. The two in hiding threw shuriken. She was able to dodge the first attack but was nicked by the second.

"Very clever. Maybe you aren't _as_ predictable as you used to be," she said.

Naruto responded, "I've grown a lot since we were in the Academy together!"

She found the real Naruto and used Phoenix flower Jutsu. He was able to dodge it. Zemaria showed her claws and charged towards him. Of course she had no intentions of actually hurting him. Her claws didn't have poison on them and she wouldn't cut him too deep.

Before she could attack, he used Rasengan. It wasn't like when he sparred with Sasuke with the intention of actually hurting him. This didn't do too much damage to her. She did fly pretty far though and hit a tree. As she slid down the tree, she coughed up a little bit of blood. The mist cleared and Naruto ran over to her to make sure she was okay.

She tricked him and used substitution. Before he could react, a trap was sprung and a bunch of kunai and shuriken flew at him. He countered all of them with a kunai in his hand. This was getting pretty serious but neither of them really paid any mind to it. Kakashi happened upon them as Naruto got ready to use Rasengan again and Zemaria got ready to use Electric Palm.

They charged at each other and Kakashi stopped them. They stood there surprised. Where'd Kakashi come from? Neither of them were going to hurt the other... at least not severely anyway. They relaxed themselves.

"What on _Earth_ are you two thinking!?" Kakashi asked concerned.

"Kakashi-Sensei, we weren't going to hurt each other that badly. We were just training together," Zemaria told him.

"That didn't look like nothing serious was going down," he said.

Naruto smiled, "Trust us Sensei. I already used Rasengan on Zemaria before you showed up. She was perfectly fine. She even used a substitution Jutsu."

Zemaria nodded, "Yeah. We weren't going to kill each other. We're just sparring to train and practice our techniques. I mean we have nothing better to do today anyway."

He placed a hand on his hip and looked at her, "What about wedding planning with Shikamaru?"

"Oh it's fine! He said that can wait a little. We aren't getting married for another two and a half years!" Zemaria smiled.

"I don't really like nor do I want to approve of your approach to your training method, however unless there is a fair amount of bloodshed I cannot interfere," he told them.

With that, he left them to go back to their training. They continued this routine for another couple of months. Whenever the two of them weren't assigned to a mission, they sparred to gain more training. During one session, Tsunade sent for them. There was a distress message sent from the Sand Village.

Gaara's newest student had been taken. Four Ninja had infiltrated the Village. Their primary target was Gaara himself. They stole his student Matsuri to draw him out. The Leaf didn't receive too much information about the situation.

Tsunade chose Shikamaru, Naruto, Shino, Ino, Neji, Sakura, Kiba, Chouji, Zemaria, and Lee for the mission. Shikamaru would be squad leader. He broke the group up into two teams; Shino, Neji, and Sakura were a scouting team to do recon with Zemaria as leader for them and the other team consisted of Naruto, Ino, Kiba, Chouji, Lee, and Shikamaru.

Zemaria took her team out first before Shikamaru had even gathered the others. Shino gave him a small sack containing a female of his insects so that they could find Shikamaru later to send messages with the insects. Shikamaru waited in Tsunade's office for the others. Once everyone else was present, Shikamaru explained the mission.

He also explained his plan as they set out. Zemaria was heading the recon team for the fact that she could hear heart beats up to four miles away. Shino was on the team for his use of his insects, Neji for his Byakugan, and Sakura for medical assistance.

After creating a sort of lookout perimeter, the team got ready to rely their information to Shikamaru. His team was in position and waiting for Shino's insects to find him. Zemaria used a mini Sanbi to inform Shino of eight heart beats a few miles away from their current positions. She identified three of them as Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

The others were new and unrecognized. They must belong to the enemy. She also informed that Gaara and his siblings' heart beats were a bit faster than those of the others. There was one that was fairly slow and may have belonged to Matsuri if she was unconscious. Shikamaru received all of the information. He instructed his team to break up into teams of two.

He and Ino would be one, Chouji and Kiba another, and the third team would be Naruto and Lee. Chouji and Kiba ended up helping Kankuro, Naruto and Lee were sent to help Gaara, and Shikamaru and Ino stepped in to help Temari who was so exhausted she couldn't dodge the enemy's attack. They fought hard.

The leader of the four Ninja activated some sort of reverse barrier Jutsu and soaked Gaara and his sand making it too heavy to use. Eventually though, the three he and his brother and sister were fighting with the help of the Leaf were defeated. The leader of them took the swords used by two of the three and the armor of the one who had fought Gaara.

In turn, he created one big super weapon. He threw the confinement with Matsuri on the ground after leading Gaara to an open area surrounded by tall walls of rock. Gaara thought he had cornered him but he really cornered Gaara. Naruto caught up to them. Sakura and Zemaria took care of Lee healing him. The enemy trapped Gaara in a steel dome. Naruto freed Matsuri and told her to hide somewhere out of danger.

Gaara tossed her the weapon he helped her choose to wield. Angered, Naruto attempted to take on the Ninja not knowing his attacks, strengths, or weaknesses. He closed up the dome so Naruto couldn't see Gaara anymore and summoned a casket containing his Village's first leader. He relinquished his own soul to revive the Village Leader for him to become the ultimate tool.

The leader absorbed Gaara's Chakra in order to become one with Shukaku. Gaara started turning into him. After a long battle between the leader and Naruto, Gaara broke free of his confinement and took over the battle. Soon enough the battle was over. Gaara took control and suppressed the beast all of his own freewill.

All was back to normal. Matsuri was safe and was even less scared of her Sensei than before. Zemaria focused on healing Gaara and Sakura focused on healing Naruto. The mission was a success and they headed back to the Leaf to the infirmary to get further treatment of their injuries. Once they were taken care of, the Sand Ninja went on their way.

Naruto was getting ready to leave the Village. He was going to be training privately with Jiraiya outside the Village for the next two years. No one wanted to see him go but it was something he needed to do. The next morning Naruto was headed out. Many of his comrades were present to see him off.

Zemaria gave him and Jiraiya a hug. By the time they were to return, it would be time for Shikamaru and Zemaria's wedding. That meant Orochimaru would appear in the Village again to walk Zemaria down the aisle. Jiraiya and Naruto waved good-bye to everyone and left the Village.

"WAH! I'm gonna miss them!" Zemaria cried out.

Shikamaru put his fingers in his ears, "I know. I'll actually miss the knucklehead for once."

"Well just think, now I can help you plan your wedding! You're going to need the best flowers to fit the scenery, the bridesmaids, and the bride of course! You can't do that without _me_," Ino said proudly.

"I'm doomed..." Zemaria said under her breath.

She wasn't thrilled about everyone expecting this huge elaborate wedding. She wanted one that was unique to her and Shikamaru and somewhat quiet. She was also too worried about the presence of her Father. It made her not look forward to the wedding itself which was a horrible feeling for her.

Shikamaru assured her that it would be perfect to their liking and no one could ever change that. He hugged her and she rested her head on his shoulder. There was so much to be done. Where would the ceremony be held? How many people would be present? What would be the color scheme? She knew for sure she wasn't going to wear a white dress.

She hated the traditional side of weddings. She didn't want it to be traditional. Her dress would be a baby blue with red as an accent color. It would be custom designed, made, and fitted. This was her non-negotiable wish. Shikamaru told her she could wear whatever made her most comfortable and then complained that the planning would be a drag.

She smacked him for complaining. Everyone laughed at how she was the only one that could get away with doing that to him. The other questions that were crowding her mind were in concerns to bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid/matron of honor, and best man. Konohamaru was already agreed upon to be the ring bearer and Moegi as the flower girl.

At home, Zemaria started a list along with a sort of "chart" for all of the questions she had created in her head. Shikamaru went into his thinking pose as he did during the Chuunin Exam in order to deduce a proper plan of action. This time though it was to plan the wedding. It amazed Shikaku how young his son would be during his wedding; fifteen. That would be his age two years from now.

Zemaria and Shikamaru would marry at age fifteen. Shikaku wasn't even that young when he married Shikamaru's mother. He was concerned the relationship itself may not even last long enough to the point when the wedding was to happen. However, they did make a perfect pair. Even after the incident with Orochimaru's sly plan of infiltrating his own daughter's subconscious and taking over her body to warn what would happen if he wasn't going to walk her down the aisle didn't tear them apart.

They endured being apart for a month when Zemaria was snatched by Orochimaru and also the rescue mission trying to get Sasuke back to the Village. Zemaria was on the brink of death and Shikamaru stayed by her bedside until she was capable of moving on her own. He helped her through her rehabilitation sessions to gain full movement and balance back.

He even visited her when she was placed in prison to ensure the safety of the Village after the rampage. Orochimaru had been the center of two of those events. No matter what they had been through, they stuck together and their love and relationship never once waivered. Maybe they _would_ last a very long time together. The new threat they had to keep on high alert now was the Akatsuki.

They were after the tailed beasts and Zemaria was on their list as the Three-Tailed Jinchuuriki. Naruto was safe being away from the Village with Jiraiya and training with him. Zemaria however, remained in the Village and would go on many more missions leading up to the time of her wedding day. Ino barged in with Sakura and Tenten. Hinata was dragged in by Ino.

"Hey Zemaria! Us girls decided we are going to throw you a 'last day of being single' party the night before your wedding day! We need to steal you for a while so we can go shopping and pick out your outfit for that night and get your dress for the wedding ready," Ino announced very loudly and expressively.

"Um- Ino, as much as I appreciate the thought of wedding gown shopping my gown is going to be custom designed, made, and tailored specifically to my liking. As for the night before party..." Zemaria said but trailed off.

Shikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder, "If you want to have fun the night before the wedding go ahead. If that's what'll make you happy then do it."

Zemaria smiled and she placed a hand on his that rested on her shoulder. It was settled. Her and the girls would go out shopping for clothes to wear for a party to be had the night before the wedding. After that was all settled, Kiba, Chouji, and Lee were next to barge in. Kiba was dragging Shino while Lee was dragging Neji in.

"I suppose you guys are here to convince me to have a "guy's night out" same as Zemaria having a "girl's night out" the night before the wedding?" Shikamaru immediately asked.

"Uh- How did you know?" Asked Chouji.

Shikamaru pointed to the Kunoichi gathered in the living room, "That's the reason why I'm surrounded by girls. They came here to get Zemaria to have a party the night before the wedding. It doesn't bother me; in fact I'm encouraging her to do it."

"I don't suppose you're feeling the same about us guys doing the same thing?" Kiba asked.

"Not particularly. I'm not the party type of person," he said.

"Nah, you're just a party pooper!" Zemaria laughed.

He sighed and eventually gave in. The next task also was to find a place for just the two of them. It was about time they lived on their own together. The Jounin; Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai all decided to help out in the house hunting part of their plans. Some of the Chuunin even got involved. This along with the wedding were the happiest things to happen to the Village after Orochimaru's attack.

It would take some time but soon enough they'd be on their own. Between house hunting, wedding planning, missions, and training they were busier than ever before. It wasn't long before Shikamaru and Zemaria were exhausted from everything. They were ordered to take some time to get some strength back both physically and mentally.


End file.
